


Second Chance

by Frank_Verderosa



Category: Final Fantasy VII
Genre: ... and then also major character death, F/M, Gen, Major Character Undeath, Resurrection, Round Robin, Self-Sacrifice, Time Travel, Time Travel Fix-It
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-15
Updated: 2016-08-15
Packaged: 2018-08-08 21:28:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 55,701
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7774393
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Frank_Verderosa/pseuds/Frank_Verderosa
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Well, well, what do I see here? Another Aeris resurrection story? Well, sort of. This story takes place directly after the events in the game. At least, it starts out that way. But as meteor is destroyed by the lifestream the Highwind is caught up in the conflagration and tossed back in time to before Aeris was killed. After our heros realize this they set out on a quest to meet their former selves and stop Sephiroth from ever killing Aeris in the first place.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. FROM THE FUTURE INTO THE PAST

**Author's Note:**

> And now for something completely different. An FFVII fan fic not authored by me! Or at least not most of it. This story is a collaboration between a number of well known FFVII fan fic authors on the web. Each author is going to write one chapter (or maybe more depending on how many victim...err, authors I get to go along with this). Not sure how this is going to turn out, but it should be a lot of fun doing it and I'm sure we'll get an entertaining story out of it to boot. Or at least, I hope so!
> 
> [Note: This story was originally published between 1998-2002)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was written by Jen.

Cloud Strife stood at the railing of the bridge of the Highwind, looking out across Midgar. Beside him, stood Tifa Lockheart, her wine-colored eyes filled with worry. Meteor had descended on the city and unleashed bright red tornadoes of destruction. Pieces of the different sectors were lifted up and spun through the air as the whirlwinds touched down.

Behind him, Barret Wallace expressed his frustration at the lack of their savior, the Holy Materia. Red XIII felt that it was too later for Holy now and that they should direct their worries toward Midgar. Cait Sith bowed his crowned head atop the enormous, stuffed moogle and shared his sadness for those his controller Reeve had been unable to move to the slums.

Suddenly, there was a flash of white light outside the window and all eyes turned to the source. They watched in relief and awe as Holy spread across the Planet and blanketed Meteor. There was a struggle between the two forces and when the battle ended, they were shocked to see that Meteor remained.

The hope that Aeris had left them with Holy was gone. There was nothing left for them to do now but watch as Sephiroth succeeded in destroying the Planet. It would begin with Midgar and end with the destruction of mankind.

They were only allowed a moment of dread before Tifa noticed something in the distance. Cloud followed her outstretched hand and was overjoyed to see bright green strands of the Lifestream rising from the ground. Strand after strand reached up and flowed across the planet, joining together above Meteor. The group aboard the airship shielded their eyes as a flash of iridescent light emanated from Midgar. When they looked this time, Meteor was gone.

"Hot Damn!" Cid yelled, his cigarette falling from his mouth. "She did it!"

"We," Cloud corrected, "we all did it."

Barret looked at everyone and said, "What now?"

Everyone glanced around at one another, almost as if they couldn't believe that it was all over. Would they go their separate ways now or stick together?

Tifa shrugged, "I can't imagine being without any of you. Sometimes it's hard to believe we had separate lives before all this."

"I'm-" Cid started, and then, "What the hell?!"

They all felt a slight tremor that caused them to lose their footing and stumble some. Cid called to his pilots to check the Highwind's gauges, but they could find nothing wrong with them. Tifa and Cloud turned to look out the window again, but they too found nothing out of the ordinary. Well, that is, if they could call the present state of Midgar normal.

Vincent Valentine stepped from his usual station in the rear of the airship and walked up to Cid.

"Something is wrong, friend, I can feel it."

Cid turned to look at Vincent and nodded. He also looked to Red, whose expression seemed to support Vincent's foreboding.

"Well, I don't know shit 'bout none of that," Barret replied. "I just want the hell outta here."

"I agree with Barret; although not quite in those exact words," Cait Sith added.

Cid went for the controls and said, "Where the hell to?"

It was then, that the trembling resumed and Cid had to grab onto the wheel, gripping it tightly to hold his balance. Aside from Tifa and Cloud, who had the railing to latch onto, the others were unprepared and fell the floor.

"Gawd! What is that?!" they heard Yuffie yell from the cargo bay.

"Shit-can-barely-hold-on!" Cid yelled, his voice shaking like a car on old, rickety wheels.

Barret tried to stand up and was thrown into Tifa and Cloud, causing them to release their hold on the railing and fall.

"Get-off-Barret!" Cloud demanded.

"I'm-trying!"

"Vincent, this would be what you were talking about," Cait Sith said, his the only voice that wasn't shaking.

"Listen-to-that-damn-cat! Shinra-spy-only-one-can-talk-right!" Barret yelled, managing to get a grip on the railing and stand up.

The Highwind suddenly moved sharply to the left, and they were all thrown hard against each other and any metal objects that got in their way.

"Out-the-window-I-saw-Mako-" Barret tried.

"What?!" Cloud asked.

"Mako-shootin'-up-below-us!"

"Shit!" Cid yelled, as the enormous iron airship was suddenly pulled down with a vicious jerk.

They watched as Mako rushed by them outside of the ship and pulled them further into its blue-green reservoir.

"Dammit! Must have been a defunct reactor!" Reeve's voice yelled through Cait. "I have a better view and I can see- oh no! You guys are right in it!"

"@#$%! Thanks-cat!" Barret yelled.

They heard Yuffie scream as the airship suddenly shot south at a speed so intense, it felt as if their skin was being pulled away from their bodies. They went further and further down until they stopped suddenly, and then, blackness for everyone.

 

* * *

Vincent was the first to come to and he found himself in the Highwind, sunlight pouring through the cracked window. The ship had landed on its left side, and he could see his friends sprawled out everywhere. It was going to be difficult, but he needed to maneuver his way out of the broken, iron bucket and see where they had landed.

He stepped over the plush body of Cait Sith, wondering at its silence. Perhaps it had short circuited during the crisis. He managed to find the doorway to the outer deck, but could not see Yuffie anywhere. When he made his way onto the deck, he was surprised to see they had somehow landed outside of Rocket Town. But, at the heart of the town, the old, rusted Shinra No. 26 still stood.

He only had a moment to meditate on this before a hand clamped down on his shoulder.

"Thinkin' of desertin' us?"

Vincent turned to Cid, who had a nasty looking cut running across his forehead.

"No. I am just seeing where we have landed."

Cid looked out," Rocket Town. Damn...what the hell? How did the Shinra 26 get here?! Those bastards at Shinra launched it at Meteor. We were inside of it, we saw it explode!"

"Your guess is as good as mine, friend," Vincent replied.

"Vincent, Cid?" they heard Cloud ask.

"Out here Spike!" Cid yelled.

Cloud came into view, followed by Tifa, "Don't call me that, Cid. You know I hate it."

"Sure, Kid," Cid grinned, reaching for a cigarette.

"How the hell can you smoke at a time like this?" a deep voice demanded.

"I like the damn things, Barret," Cid replied, as the big, black man joined them on the deck.

"Hey! Someone get in here and help me up!"

"Help yourself up, Brat," Barret replied.

They heard the sounds of debris being tossed aside and the unmistakable notes of grumbling before Yuffie appeared, followed by Red and Cait Sith.

"I'm getting funny signals. This is weird," Cait Sith said.

"Think that's weird? Take a look at Rocket Town," Cid said, pointing toward it.

"What?! I thought they launched that hunk of junk," Yuffie voiced.

Cid turned toward her and glared fiercely, "Watch your mouth, Kid."

"I would, but I need a mirror," Yuffie smartly returned.

Cid took a menacing step toward her, but was detained by Vincent's hand on his shoulder.

"Cid, is the Highwind inoperable?" Cloud asked.

"She can fly again, but not without a hell of a lot of work."

"How long?"

"'Bout a month or two."

"Shit! That ain't gonna help us now!" Barret spat.

Cid sighed loudly, "What do ya want me to do about it?"

Cloud crossed his arms and stared at the two like a benevolent father, tapping his foot lightly against the wooden deck.

Ever the logical, practical one, he said, "Let's get to Rocket Town and see what's going on."

"The Kids right. Let's go," Cid replied, dangling over the side of the Highwind before jumping down.

"You want me to jump THAT far?" Yuffie whined.

"You wanna stay here all day, Ninja?" Cid yelled up to her.

At the mention of the word Ninja, Yuffie sighed and crawled over the side, "If I break any bones, Old man, you're dead!"

"You break any bones Kid, and you're gonna be in too much pain to even try."

She managed to get halfway over before she slipped. Laughing, Cid darted forward and caught her. Yuffie looked up at his beard speckled face, her brown eyes wide with fear and her breath coming in short, quick gasps.

"Hmmm. You sure you're a Ninja?" Cid asked.

Yuffie's mouth snapped shut and she smacked him upside the head before jumping out of his arms and running toward Rocket Town.

"Get back here you little @#$%er!"

Tifa sighed, "Those two. I swear they are always at each other's throats."

Cloud looked at the rest of the group, "I don't know about you guys, but I'd like to find an easier way to get down."

Barret nodded in agreement and went in search of a rope. Something had happened to the rope ladder when the Mako reactor has sucked them in, and it was no where to be found.

Vincent smiled at them and said, "I can make my own way down, as well."

He suddenly leapt onto the side of the airship and nimbly jumped down. The other"s watched as he landed perfectly on his feet, seeming not to falter at all. He then followed the trail kicked up by Cid"s pursuit of Yuffie, his crimson cape billowing behind him like a fiery red cloud.

"Damn man," Barret remarked, scratching his head, "Vince's got some abilities."

Cloud turned to him, "You have a rope?"

"Yeah. Don't know how that's gonna help Red though."

Red grinned, revealing even, sharp teeth, "I can go much in the same way as Vincent."

With that, he leapt over the side and onto the ground, landing steadily on all four feet.

"Show offs," Barret grumbled, securing the rope.

Cloud had Barret go first so that if Tifa fell, Barret would be below to catch her. Barret heaved his way down the thick, tan twine, cursing and bumping into the airship all the way. Tifa had to cover her mouth to stifle her laughs, for fear he"d hear and get angry. She went next, proving to be much more nimble than Barret and making it down a whole lot quicker. Cloud wiggled halfway down and then jumped the rest of the way, landing easily.

"Show off," Barret groused, heading for Rocket Town.

When they walked into the town that had risen around the Shinra 26, they almost bumped into the others, who were standing about staring as if in a trance.

"It looks the same. Before they launched the Rocket. Damn...I gotta bad feelin' about this," Cid said.

"That's just not possible," Cloud replied.

"Yer tellin' me!" Barret bellowed.

The town stood as it had before the launch of the old rocket at Meteor. The people milled about aimlessly, either walking to no specific destination or just standing there, staring at the rusted, leaning rocket. Cid had half a mind to walk up to the thing and touch it just to see if it was real. 

"Hey Captain! Didn"t think I'd see you back so soon after how you took off on the Tiny Bronco. I thought Rufus Shinra was gonna get you for sure."

Cid turned to the sound of the voice, shock evident on his face, "What did you say?"

He walked forward, nearly grabbing the man by the lapels of his jacket.

The man looked puzzled, "Just that I thought Shinra was goin' to get you for sure. We saw the Tiny Bronco was hit by those bullets. We were all afraid you guys crashed and didn't make it. Shera's been beside herself..." he trailed off, remembering the Captain's feelings for Shera.

Cid"s face paled and he turned to look at the others, whose faces wore identical expressions of shock. 

"We just left here? Not...there's just no way!" Cid snapped, banging his fist on the back of his head.

"Sure there is Captain, I just..."

He trailed off as Cid rounded on him; the expression on the Captain's face told him that hed better leave real quickly.

"Uh, sure Captain. Just glad to see you're all right," he said, turning and leaving as fast as his feet would take him without seeming like he was running.

"Aeris isn't with us, like before. This just isn't possible," Tifa voiced, sounding frustrated.

Tifa couldn't see how after all that they had went through after this, that they would find Rocket Town like this, like it was frozen in time. When they had left on the Tiny Bronco, Aeris had been alive and with them. She had been her usual optimistic, cheerful self and Tifa felt a pang of loss well up in her again. She and Aeris might not have always seen eye to eye, but Tifa cared about the girl like a friend, almost like a sister. She had watched in horror as Sephiroth plunged his sword into her slender back, the blade so long that it came out through her front. Any sleep she had gotten after that forced her to re-live the experience over and over.

Cloud put a reassuring arm around Tifa's shoulders and said, "We all know that the Rocket was launched at Meteor. Where were we at this point?"

Vincent spoke up, "If I am correct, we went to Wutai," he looked sternly at Yuffie after this and she ducked her head, pretending great interest in her feet, "and then to the Gold Saucer. We were after the Keystone."

"Which the damn Shinra Spy took," Barret added.

Cait Sith sighed, "Please, Barret, stop mentioning that. I know I may have been a spy, but haven"t I proved to you where my real loyalties lie?"

Red padded up to Barret and interjected, "Barret, if we hope to figure out what has gone wrong, we must work together. Exchanging insults will help no one."

"Red is right," Cloud spoke up, running a hand through his blonde spikes, "we need to work together to clear this up. So leave Cait alone."

Barret glared fiercely at Cloud, but Cloud simply crossed his arms and stared back stonily. Barret sighed and threw his arms into the air, looking pointedly at their leader.

"We're all tired. Why don't we find somewhere to sit down and discuss this," Cloud reasoned.

"Captain."

The word was spoken softly, but Cid heard it quite clearly and turned sharply. Shera stood at the door to his house, a pot of tea in her hand. Conflicting emotions arose as he thought about his feelings for her at this time and the feelings he had when he first left. He scratched his head and turned to the others.

"We can sit around my house. No sense rentin' a room when we got free space there."

Cloud nodded and they followed Cid across town to where Shera stood. Her brown eyes were worried beneath her glasses and her face easily betrayed her anxiety.

"Captain, are you all right?"

Frustration had him snapping at her out of habit, "'Course I'm all right! What are you blind woman?!"

Shera recoiled, but reached a hand out and touched the cut on his forehead despite his harsh words.

"You're cut."

Cid stared blankly at her, before sighing and trying to undo the damage of his anger, "Yeah. It's just a scratch. Uh...I'm tired, so you'll have to excuse me yellin' at you."

Shera"s eyes widened in shock. The Captain was apologizing for yelling at her? She searched his face for signs of a sickness, but could find none.

To cover her unease, she said, "Come sit down. I'll pour you all some tea. That was quite an escape. I thought Rufus would get you for sure. But, you disposed of Palmer easily."

She went to the cupboard for mugs, seemingly unaware of the tension caused by her words. Vincent stood in the corner of the kitchen, Red lay on the floor, Barret leaned against the fridge; Tifa, Cloud, Cid, and Yuffie sat at the table, and Cait Sith stood in the corner opposite of Vincent.

"Shera. Did you say we just left?" Cid asked, accepting his mug of tea.

"Why yes," she answered puzzled. "You took off in the Tiny Bronco about two hours ago. You were running from Rufus Shinra and the Soldiers...but you already know this."

"You're absolutely sure?"

"Captain, why-"

"Dammit Shera, this is important!"

"Yes, I'm absolutely sure. Oh, where is that nice girl...Aeris isn't it? Something didn't happen to her, did it?"

The group grew solemn, and Shera suddenly felt as if she was intruding on something private, so she excused herself and left the room.

"Cid, Shera didn't mean any harm," Tifa said, thinking that the thunderous expression on his face was caused by the other woman's words.

Cid waved his hand in dismissal, "Hell, I know that. This is just too damn much."

"I've been thinking..." Cait trailed off as everyone's eyes turned to him. 

He had never liked being the center of attention, so it didn"t bother him when the others ignored him. It was odd, in a way, that he sat back in Midgar as Reeve, controlling the big stuffed moogle and its riding cat. That pretty much kept him hidden from all of them, yet when he spoke through the cat he still felt as if they could see him.

"Well?" Barret demanded.

The cat sighed, "What if, when we entered the Mako reactor, we were somehow thrown back in time. The Lifestream sucks you in anywhere and throws you out anywhere. It doesn"t seem unlikely then, that this time we time traveled."

This revelation was met with silence and blank stares. If he could have, the cat atop the stuffed moogle would have began to sweat. Maybe he had been wrong, but stranger things had happened to him since joining this group.

"Damn." Cid said, lighting a cigarette.

Yuffie burst out laughing, "What a ridiculous idea! Where'd you come up with that story?"

"No, what he says makes sense," Cloud decided.

And, because it had come from him, the others turned their attention to their spikey-headed leader intently. Cloud looked around at the sea of faces that he had come to call his closest friends and smiled slightly.

"What Cait said would explain why everything is as it was before and why everyone keeps insisting we just left."

"But then," Tifa wanted to know, "Where is Aeris?"

Cloud sighed. He wasn"t sure of the answer to this yet. It all seemed like an awful lot to grasp all at once. All he knew was, that they were essentially back right where they had started. Sephiroth was not defeated and Shinra still ran rampant. 

"Perhaps," Red suddenly added, "she still lives."

They turned to him, wanting to hear what he had to say.

"What if we all still existed too."

"What?" Barret asked. "Ya lost me Red."

Red stood up, warming to the subject, "Well, perhaps what the people of this town just saw leave was us. But not us as we are now, but us as we were then."

"Hey! Speak so rest of us can understand!" Yuffie yelled.

"The rest of us can, Ninja," Cid replied, dryly.

"Shu-"

"Be quiet," Vincent said softly, but the steel underneath had Yuffie closing her mouth and glaring at them all.

Red swished his tail with impatience and tried again, "What I am saying is, that there may be two of each of us running around. Except for Aeris; there will only be one of her."

The group absorbed this and then Tifa said, "Then, we might me able to save her?"

Red inclined his head, "If I am right, yes."

They sat in silence for awhile. If they were to test this theory, then they needed to head for the Gold Saucer. But since the Tiny Bronco was gone, the Buggy had disappeared, and the Highwind was not operable, they would have to go on foot.

Barret shrugged, "What do we have to lose? We got no choice but to try an' stop Sephiroth again. Might as well follow the same path we took before an' try and find the other ones of us."

Cloud nodded, "But maybe we could get Shera to fix us something to eat first? And we need some supplies."

Everyone looked at Cid hopefully and he shrugged, I"ll go ask her."

Cid left the room and Yuffie said with wonder in her voice, "Ask? Did Cid just say he'd ask her, not tell her?"

* * *

Once they had finished eating and gathering supplies, they prepared to leave. With one last look at the Shinra 26, Cid followed the rest of the gang out of the town and further into the continent. The next stop would be Nibelheim and Cid wondered how things would play out there. Would Sephiroth taunt them or would things just go as they had at Rocket Town?

They walked in silence for a moment, alert to the possibilities of attacking monsters. Each had their own thoughts about the days proceedings, but none felt like voicing them.

A monster suddenly appeared at Yuffie"s left and she threw out her Conformer, taking care of it easily. The look on her face could only be described as bored. Obviously, these creatures were no match for any of them.

After some time, they came to the entrance of the Nibel Mountains and stopped for a moment.

"Wonder how tough the dragons will be here," Yuffie thought aloud.

"I'd just as soon not find out," Cloud informed her.

They walked through the short path that lead to the inner cave and then entered it, reaching the bottom where they had once fought a boss. The eerie silence of the cave reminded Yuffie of a tomb and she sought to shake off the chill. Too bad there wasn"t any new materia here for her to find. She still hoped that when this new journey was done, that they would let her have all their materia for Wutai. 

They managed to make it nearly to the top of the last set of stairs when a loud roar sounded in front of them. A large purple dragon stepped into view and sniffed at the invaders to his domain. Seeing that they were humans, he roared again and stepped forward.

Cloud stepped up to meet him, flanked by Cait Sith who had the bulk of the defensive materia and Tifa who had a good portion of the elementals. Cait cast MBarrier on them and Cloud ran forward, slicing at the dragon with his Ultima sword. The dragon roared and swiped at Cloud, who easily dodged it with a jump back. 

Tifa came around behind the behemoth and gave it a hard punch and a swift kick to the back. The dragon swung out his tail and knocked her from her feet. Cloud ran in and helped her up while Cait"s moogle pounded the dragon with his enormous fists. The dragon roared again and swung his tail around swiftly, knocking all three to the ground. 

Seeing this, Cid stepped in and used Death Blow to deliver the fatal hit with his spear. The dragon died with one last roar and those not fighting helped the others up.

"Well," Yuffie said, "I'm kinda glad I didn't get to find out."

Barret pushed her forward and she stumbled into the back of Vincent, who reached around quickly and kept her from falling. Yuffie stuck her tongue out at Barret and ran ahead to reach the others.

They reached Nibelheim without another incident and Cloud held up the group, hesitating at the sight of the mansion. The others also glanced at Vincent out of the corner of their eyes to see his reaction. Vincent"s face revealed nothing as he gazed at his former prison. 

Tifa gripped Cloud"s hand and smiled, "It's all right. You have all of us and we don't even have to stop. We can pass right through."

Cloud nodded sharply and started forward. They passed the dark Shinra mansion, noticing the men in black capes standing about. The tension coming off of Cloud could be felt by everyone near him. They continued walking, all holding their breath in anticipation of a visit from Sephiroth. When they reached the entrance to the town and Sephiroth did not show, they sighed audibly.

"Cosmo Canyon is coming soon," Red interjected. "Perhaps we could discuss this with my Grandfather."

Cloud turned to look at Red, "Yes. Maybe that would help us if we spoke to Bugenhagen."

From the corner of his eye, Vincent could still see the Shinra mansion. When he had joined Cloud and Tifa in a fight against Hojo, he had thought that perhaps his anger would be assuaged. In a way it was, but he knew he would never forget his stay there, nor the man who was responsible for it. It was odd, to him, to be given this chance to save Aeris. He wondered how things would be if he was given this same chance to change the events of his life.

Cosmo Canyon was a bit farther of a walk than from Rocket Town to Nibelheim and Yuffie sought to fill the silence with something.

"Wouldn't it be weird to see duplicates of us? I mean, two Me's? Would we even like each other?"

Barret laughed, "We don't like ya, so why would you like you?"

Yuffie stuck her tongue out at him again and said, "Oh shut up. I'll bet your double hates you too!"

Red walked farther ahead, hoping to put some distance between the childish arguing and himself. His wish was that his Grandfather would be able to give them some wisdom; perhaps support or refute his thoughts. Red smiled a little as he thought of being able to see his Grandfather again. In his world, Bugenhagen would still have returned to the Planet. In a way, it would hurt to see him and know that he would lose him so soon.

Barret ignored Yuffie and thought of Marlene. Right now, she would be with Miss. Elmyra, Aeris" Mom. Kept safe from all the evil that he was fighting against. What he really wanted though, was to be with her always. But that was impossible because someone had to stop Sephiroth and Shinra and he had decided that it was going to be him; with the help of the others.

They were drawing closer to Cosmo Canyon because they could see the terrain darkening with the perpetual red-orange that surrounded the place of peace. The Canyon was always a place that they enjoyed to visit. It left everyone with a sense of strength and a feeling that they knew who they were and where they were going.

They came closer to it and were suddenly attacked from behind. It was two penguin-like creatures and a peacock that drained your magic power. Cloud hated those things, so he ran forward and sliced it in half with one blow. Barret filled one of the penguins full of lead and Red easily sliced the other to shreds.

"This is too easy," Yuffie complained.

"Seems to me," Cid said, puffing away on a cigarette, "that you were glad not too long ago at not havin' to face that dragon."

Yuffie scowled at him and skipped ahead after Red. They came upon the entrance to Cosmo Canyon and the guard at the gate looked at them all inquisitively.

"Nanaki. We did not expect you back so soon. Elder Bugen will be very pleased to see you."

He moved aside and allowed them to pass. Tifa glanced around and enjoyed the soothing beat of the soft drums being played. She yawned and reminded herself that they couldn't afford to rest.

Cloud caught the yawn and grinned, "Maybe we should stay the night."

Tifa shook her glossy, brown head, "No. We can't afford to. But, if we need to, perhaps we could stay in Gongaga?"

Cloud nodded, thinking of Zack"s hometown. His thoughts were interrupted by a shout from above him and he looked to see Cid motioning for them to hurry up. Apparently, Tifa and he had fell behind.

"Hurry up you lovebirds!" Barret called.

Cloud glared at him and Tifa pressed her gloved fists to her face to hide her embarrassment.

"Hush Barret! You know Cloud and I...aren"t that way."

Barret rolled his eyes and disappeared through the stone doorway. Cloud and Tifa jogged to catch up and found themselves at the ladder to Bugenhagen"s room quite quickly.

"Ho ho ho! Nanaki, I did not expect to see you so soon."

Bugenhagen, wearing his traditional blue and green robe floated over to Red. He glanced at the weary travelers and then, missing nothing started at the sight of the comb in Nanaki"s mane.

"Nanaki...where did you get that? I have been saving it for another time. I do not remember giving it to you."

Red lowered his head and then lifted it, "It is a long story Grandfather."

"Well, tell me then. I'm an old man and time is not to be wasted."

Red regaled him with the events that had passed, neglecting to tell Bugenhagen of his death and then waited for his Grandfather"s answer. Bugen floated up the stairs and then returned moments later with a comb identical to the one in Red"s mane.

"Ho ho ho! This is all so fascinating! So, there are two Nanaki's running around. Ho ho ho! Save the Planet."

The group gave a much needed chuckle and relaxed.

"Can you tell me anything of this Grandfather? Maybe something that would help us?"

Bugen laughed and said, "No."

Red looked puzzled.

"Nanaki, I may have lived for many years, but I do not know everything. Of time travel, there is little."

"Then," Cid shrugged, "We'll just have to see for ourselves."

"This is true," Bugen agreed. "But, it does my old heart good to know that the Planet considers us worthy of saving. Now, Nanaki, why so glum? I know you are hiding something from me."

Red swished his tail wishing that he wasn"t so transparent to his Grandfather. To everyone else he was an enigma, but to his Grandfather he was easily readable.

Red bowed his head and went to sit before Bugen, "Grandfather, I know of the time of your death."

Bugen laughed again, "Is that all?"

Red lifted his head and stared at his Grandfather, "But-but-" he was left speechless, something that didn"t happen to Red often.

"Nanaki. We must all die some day. To return to the Planet and help it heal is not something to be mourned, but something to be rejoiced. I am an old man and I have lived a long, full life."

"But Grandfather, I will miss you so."

The others, deciding that Red needed some time with his Grandfather, all filed out of the room.

Cloud looked at everyone and said, "We'll go our separate ways and meet back here in two hours."

They nodded and all left, except for Tifa.

"I don"t feel like being alone," she explained.

Cloud smiled and slipped her arm through his, "Then, shall we find something to do?"

Tifa grinned, "Yeah. Let"s go eat some of those pastries we had here last time. They were the best."

"You can make better ones."

"Oh stop!"

* * *

They all stood at the gate to Cosmo Canyon waiting for Red, who stood with his Grandfather on the last step leading into the actual Canyon. Red spoke with Bugen a few minutes more before bounding down to the others. He had a smile on his face and looked at peace.

"I am sorry Grandfather was unable to help us."

Cloud shook his head, "He did help us. He made us remember what's really important in all this. Us and the Planet."

"Are we gonna stop at Gongaga overnight?" Barret asked.

Cloud shrugged, "We might. Let's see when we get there."

The group left the Canyon completely and was on their guard for the dragons that liked to cast petrify. They ran into a few of them as before they reached Gongaga, but they easily dispatched them with quick slices and well placed punches. 

They looked at the run-down town once so thriving and stopped. The evil of Shinra was everywhere; their touch marring just about everything they came across.

The group continued forward and prepared to enter Gongaga.


	2. DISCOVERY AND DESPAIR

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The author of this chapter went by the pseudonym 'Cloud Strife.'

Cid took a deep drag off his newest cigarette and took in the scene before him. The sun dipped low in the sky over the remains of the reactor. The ruined town of Gongaga had never been a part of his journey, and he'd never seen the devastation the explosion had caused. He was weary from traveling, and so was everyone else, it seemed, except for Cloud. Cid was worried about his friend. After seeing how easily Sephiroth had manipulated Cloud before, he wondered just how much the kid could take before he let things get out of control again. The pilot had been watching Cloud carefully these past few days, waiting for some sign that Sephiroth still had influence over his friend. Cloud's cold eyes and impassive face didn't help the situation much. It was always hard to tell what he was feeling. Sometimes it seemed as though he never felt anything at all. Now the young man beckoned to him to join the group and enter the desolate city. Ready for a warm bed and a steaming cup of tea, Cid followed him.

Cloud and the others checked into the only inn the town possessed. Cloud had shut himself off from the rest of the group and secluded himself in the room. Tifa watched him with worry-filled eyes and her voice trembled as she spoke,

"Cid, there's something wrong with him."

Cid slowly nodded,

"It's that fucker Sephiroth. Messin’ with his head, or worse." 

"What are we supposed to do about it?" the slender woman asked.

"I dunno, but whatever we do, we'd better do it fast." Tifa gave Cid a knowing look and knocked on the door.

"Cloud," she said, "I'm coming in." She closed the door behind her to find her friend hunched over the floor, holding his stomach. Cloud appeared to be wracked with pain. "Cloud!" she exclaimed, running to him. "Are you okay.?" 

Cloud groaned in pain and fell to the floor.

"Gone! It's gone!"

"Cloud? What's going on?" Cloud breathed deeply and slowly stood up.

"Jenova, Tifa. Jenova is gone. It must have happened in the lifestream. Sephiroth is alive, somewhere, and I can't even sense his presence!" 

"But that's good, Cloud." The woman stated, "he can't control you anymore. You're finally free of him." She then realized that something else was going on here. She looked into Cloud's eyes and noticed that the Mako blue was fading.

"Ohh!" she breathed.

"Arrggh!" Cloud groaned as he fell to the floor again.

"Cloud! Somebody get a doctor, now!" Tifa cried.

"Wait!" Cloud said as his pride kicked in. "I'm okay. I'll be fine." He stood up again and went for his sword. Finding the handle easily, he pulled"and pulled"and pulled, and nothing happened. Cloud redoubled his efforts and found that he could not even lift his sword. He sneered angrily and lifted again, sweat brimming down his brow, but the sword refused to budge. His strength had left him. He was powerless without Jenova. He collapsed again, and this time he made no effort to rise. Cid and Red XIII had gone after a doctor despite Cloud's earlier protest, while the others watched the situation with worry. It was going to be a long night.

Cait Sith watched the doctors attend to his friend. They had been with him for hours, but could find no sign of any illness. He silently brooded over whether they would be strong enough to find Aeris again and save her without Cloud. The last time they had lost their friend, all hell had broken loose. Cait didn't want to face that situation again. Suddenly, the stuffed cat got a signal. He had been running on autopilot ever since Sephiroth's death, but the signal was unmistakably Reeve's transmitter. He listened intently to the instructions, but they didn't come from his master, but from the Reeve of this era. His new processor managed to override Reeve's order, and he was of his own free will again. If he could communicate with Reeve, then they had an edge over Shinra, at least for the time being. If only Cloud would wake up"

Tifa waited anxiously over the form of the man she loved. There was nothing the doctors could do to help him. She tried to relax, but it was getting harder to be clam and collected when situations came to Cloud. The girl was so worried that she could taste it, and she hoped to Bahamut that he would wake up soon. She knew that he would pull through, he had to, just like all the other times in his life. That wasn't it. Her real worry was something much more earth-shattering, and much more close to her heart. It was Aeris. Cloud had loved the girl before, she knew, and finding her again might mean that Tifa would lose any chance she still had to be with him. She bent over his inert form and kissed his forehead,

"I love you," she said, "I just can't tell you." 

Tifa forced herself to her feet again and sat down in a large chair. If he wouldn't stir, then she would be with him until he did.

Morning came, and Cloud still lay unconscious in the bed. Tifa remembered the first time Cloud had lain there, right after Aeris had left them to face her destiny. She looked over to Barret. The big man nodded,

"If we wait long 'nuff, our doubles should come through here 'gain soon."

"No," Tifa replied, "it'll be too late by then. We have to get Cloud someplace where he'll be safe."

"Wait!" Red XIII interrupted, "What if we could get Cloud his Jenova cells back?"

"How we gonna do dat, foo"!?" Barret asked, 'dat damn Hojo's the only one who could do dat!"

"Exactly," the beast grinned, "and right now he's at Costa Del Sol, which is only a few kilometers from here."

"Now just hold on a damn minute!" Cid contested, "You're gonna let that rat mess with the kid again?" Vincent chimed in,

”Don't worry, my friend," the dark man said, "If Hojo so much as harms a hair on Cloud's spiky head, I will make his life a living hell for all eternity."

"Alright!" Cait Sith stated, "Let's get Cloud packed up and get outta this hell hole! Alright everyone, let's mosey!"

”Damn! Again? Stop sayin’ it like a wimp! Can't you say “Move Out" or something?"

”Move out!" the cat yelled, and it was so.

Tifa walked carefully into the room where Cloud had lain unconscious. Pushing the door aside with a creak, she surveyed the room. Cloud was gone.

"Cloud!" Tifa cried, searching for him frantically. He was nowhere to be found. The room was ransacked, tables were knocked over, curtains ripped, and Cloud's sword was gone, too. 

Cloud Strife rode off towards sleeping forest in his brand new chocobo, courtesy of Yuffie's burglary lessons. His sword dragged unceremoniously along the ground. He could still barely use it, but what else could he do? His heart would not allow Aeris to die again, not now, not ever. Cloud swore to himself this day that he would not only make Sephiroth pay for killing Aeris, but prevent him from doing so as well. Sephiroth. The word filled his mind with rage and hatred. Murderer of his family, murderer of Aeris, Sephiroth had in a sense killed Cloud, too. But this time it would be different; this time he could stop him.

THIS time Cloud would be whole again.


	3. FATE IS NOT OURS

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was written by Celyne.

_So, this is the Sleeping Forest._

It didn't look asleep to Aeris as she walked down the path into the thick growth of trees and lush vegetation. No. The forest was bursting with life. A vast array of colours, lights and sounds. Creatures of different kinds and sizes ran to and fro the foliage and the terrain. 

The forest was everything but sleeping to those it welcomed. 

She was one of them. 

Sitting down to pick up a purple blossom, Aeris sighed and raised her eyes to the blue sky peeking out from above a canopy of trees and leaves. A group of white and brown birds flew above her leaving the sounds of their joyful cacking. 

She closed her eyes to listen some more to the orchestra of sounds. A bumblebee buzzing as it went from one flower to another. The whistle of the wind as it blew past the trees. The gurgling of a nearby brook as it the waters hit the rocks. 

Was this the Promised Land, she wondered. In this place alone, she felt safe from any dangers outside the barriers of the forest. It was to her advantage for she knew that what she had to do would be walking straight into the hands of danger. 

For her, fear had no place in her heart now. Only love and determination to protect the Planet and all it's creatures. 

A twig snapped behind her, bringing her out of her reverie. It was followed by heavy footsteps as if they were being dragged across the grass. Then a voice calling out her name. His voice. 

"Cloud?!" She cried as she spun around to see her friend limping towards her. She was more upset than surprised to see him here, but what caught her attention was his staggering and poor posture. 

One hand clasped to his midsection as his other hand desperately tried to drag his enormous sword. His feet moves slowly across the ground. His face was haggard and tired, his breathing was tortured. 

Shaking away her questions and worries, she ran to his side just in time to catch him as he fell on his knees. 

"Wh-what happened to you? What are you doing here?" She asked him, unable to mask her disappointment in being found so soon. He didn't answer, still struggling to regain his composure. "Cloud...you shouldn't have left the town alone." 

She was referring to Gongaga. That was the last place they'd been after visiting the Temple of the Ancients. He'd been controlled by Sephiroth and even attacked her as the madman fled. Cloud had been knocked out cold when she left Gongaga for the Sleeping Forest. 

"You shouldn't have left the town alone either," he said. His voice barely audible as he continued to breathe heavily. "What you're going to do is dangerous, Aeris. You're going to get killed." 

Aeris shook her head. "No, the Planet will protect me." 

"Protect you?! The Planet can't even protect itself, how can it protect you?" he snapped at her, making her pull away from him in fright. 

"But I-" 

Cloud pressed a hand to his midsection tighter and stifled a grunt. Then opened his eyes and looked directly at her. "You're going to the Forgotten Capital to summon Holy, right?" 

She didn't answer, taken aback by what he just said. 

"Am I right?" he repeated, more forcefully this time. 

"Yes. How did you know?" She had hoped that nobody would find out her mission. This dangerous mission that only she, an Ancient, could fulfill. She was afraid of this. That one of her friends would tag along. They didn't have to be involved in this. 

"Just trust me," he said in a low tone again his voice filled with pain. "Sephiroth will kill you." He fell silent , battling the pain inside his body for a full minute before taking a deep breath and straightening up his body. 

When the pain was finally gone, he looked at her face again, surprised to see her wearing a calm expression on her face. 

"It could happen," she replied slowly. "But what other choice to do we have? Sephiroth is going to summon a meteor to destroy the Planet, Cloud. Holy is the only chance we have to survive." 

Cloud didn't move. Instead, he was shocked by her reaction, rather than her being shocked by the news that she would die in a few hours. "I know," he whispered. "But it's- I don't want you to die." 

"Are you going to try to stop me, then?" 

"I don't know." He grasped his head in between his hands and shut his eyes tightly. Visions of meteor destroying Midgar burned in his head. Holy coming from the Norhtern Crater and...not doing it's job. The last thing he remembered was the Lifestream coming from the Planet and heading towards Meteor. There was a blinding light, then he and the rest of his party wake up only to find out that they have been brought back to the past. Not knowing if they were really successful at saving their future. 

Now, he didn't know if it would be necessary for Aeris to sacrifice herself all over again. Or if he could live with himself knowing that he just blew his second chance to save her. 

But, how does he explain all this to her? 

"Sephiroth!" Aeris gasped. 

Cloud opened his eyes, alerted by her scream and found the black robed man walking towards them. He carried his long blade, the masamune in one hand. Lips twisted in an evil sneer and his eyes focused mockingly on their faces. 

He wasted no time. Ignoring the weakness and the pain, Cloud sprung to his feet and held Aeris behind him. "Stop, right there!" he commanded, but Sephiroth merely snickered and continued walking towards them. 

"I'm warning you-" Cloud was interrupted as his right leg gave way underneath him, thanks to fatigue. But he refused to let that stop him. Sephiroth was just a few steps away from them. He grabbed Aeris' staff, since he had no strength to weild his sword, and held it defensively with both hands. 

Sephiroth stopped right in front of them and observed Cloud as he struggled to stay on his feet. "What's this?" he said. "The puppet dares disobey it's master?" 

"I'm not a puppet anymore, Sephiroth," Cloud hissed. "Not like you. I'm free of the bonds that tie me to JENOVA." 

Sephiroth threw back his head and let out a chuckle, which turned into an outright laughter. "That is most improbable. Mother owns you, body and soul just as she owns this Planet. That is why, I, as her son, deserve to rule over all its creatures." He looked at Cloud with eyes that burned like embers. "And you are simply an accessory to carry out Mother's desires." 

Cloud grinned at Sephiroth mockingly. "You'd be surprised at how you're going to fail." 

Sephiroth chuckled again, taking his sword out of the safe position and pointing it at Cloud's throat. "I didn't fail back at the Ancient's Temple, did I? Just look at your companion's pretty face. Her scars and bruises all came from your hand." 

Cloud looked back at Aeris and finally noticed the wounds that she hid behind her thick hair. He knew that Sephiroth was right. 

"Not anymore, Sephiroth. You, JENOVA, or any other puppet will not harm her again. I won't allow it." 

As those words left Cloud's lips, Sephiroth stepped forward and jabbed the sword right through the staff and flipped it far away. With another quick move, he sidestepped and drove a fist at Cloud's midsection, causing the young SOLDIER to double over in pain. 

"Ah... pathetic," Sephiroth said clicking his tongue in disappointment. "I will enjoy killing you...both." He turned around and walked back the way he came, disappearing in the mist. 

"Damn!" Cloud groaned, slamming a fist on the ground. Once again he stood helpless against the river. Unable to stop it's flow a second time. "I-I'm sorry, Aeris. I tried to protect you..." 

"It's okay," she said, laying a hand on his shoulders and trying to comfort him. "There'll always be next time." 

"No!" he snapped. "It's going to happen all over again! He'll make me watch you die all over again. And---God--I can't believe---I'm helpless. AGAIN! Don't you understand?" 

"No! No, I don't understand!" she cried, her eyes brimming with tears. "What's going on, Cloud? Why are you acting this way? Tell me!" 

Cloud didn't move, he just kept his head bowed down. "All right, I'll tell you--everything." 

And he did, as they sat on the grass. He told her how he and their friends were pulled back into the past. What happened the last time Aeris went to the Forgotten Capital. He told her what happened to him in Lifestream and at the Northern Crater. Then he told her about Holy aiding Meteor in destroying Midgar. 

* * *

In Bone Village, Cid and Tifa waited impatiently for any sign of their past counterparts to arrive. They had everything prepared for them. The Lunar Harp, the tool used to awaken the Sleeping Forest, powerful materia and weapons. 

"Do you think they'll buy it?" Cid asked. 

"They have to if we're going to save our Cloud and Aeris," Tifa answered, looking back towards the entrance of the village. 

"What do you think happened to the future, Tifa?" he spoke again. "Do you think that Meteor destroyed the world? Or do you think that Lifestream was able to stop it?" 

Tifa shrugged. She didn't know. When they were on the Highwind, everything looked bad. Meteor had already done quite a lot of damage to Midgar even before Lifestream appeared. But her mind drifted away to thoughts of Cloud. She was dead worried about him. Especially now at his weakened state. 

"I think I'll lie down for a while," she said, making her way to the main tent of the village where the others waited. "Call me when you see them coming, Cid." 

Cid nodded and sat down on a rock that moved and tumbled as he did. The pilot lost his balance and fell on the ground muttering and cursing. 

"Cid, you okay?" Tifa asked, not hiding her chuckle. 

"Yeah. Shit." Cid reached for Tifa's extend hand and pulled himself to his feet, dusting his back. "Stupid rock!" He cursed, kicking the solid object until it rolled over once again. 

"Hey, look!" Tifa said, pointing excitedly at a shining object buried in the soil. 

"Well, whatd'ya know?" Cid dropped on his knees and started digging with his hands, until the object came into full view. He picked up the dirty piece of metal and scraped off the remaining dirt. "Now who would leave the Midgar key lying around on the ground like that?" 

Tifa let out a squeal of excitement. Hopefully, this was a good omen that they would succeed. 

"Tifa, Cid!" they heard Yuffie call. They spotted her running towards them from her look-out tree near the village's entrance. "They're here! They just arrived on the Baby Bronco." 

"Tiny Bronco!" Cid corrected pocketing the Midgar Key. Both he and Tifa got on their feet. "This is it." 

Tifa nodded and took a deep breath. "Let's go." 

* * *

Cloud lay down on one of the beds in the Forgotten Capital. Fatigue had completely taken over him and he slept soundly. He did not notice his companion tiptoe near him to check his temperature with the back of her hand. Nor did he hear her whisper the words: "I'm sorry, but I have to do this." 

Then she ran out into the darkness as quickly as she could before anyone else could stop her.


	4. DESCENT INTO LIFE

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was written by The Captain.

/ ... _"So it was the Jenova Cells, Sephiroth's strong will and my weakness that made me who I am now."_ ... /

/ ... _"You are a puppet. You have no feelings. You have no heart and you cannot feel any pain."_ ... /

Echoes of the past. Distant memories or something more? A spirit calling to him, or his own inner emotion attempting to torture its master just a bit more. As the voices rang within Cloud's head, he struggled to a sitting position. His vision was blurred, the memories continued their assault. The young hero doubled over and coughed up thick liquid. 

Savior of the Planet. 

Cloud grappled to right himself in the decrepit bed, centuries old. The stone laden floor rocked and swayed as he made the dauntless attempt to stand on his own two feet. His insides felt of fire and needles, his head was light and distant. He had all the strength of a sick kitten at his command, and at present his mind was beckoning for it in full.

"Aeris..." His voice was hushed and raspy. "Stop..." He firmly grasped at the end of the bed, and his massive sword caught his eye. The impressive weapon had been carefully placed on the floor, despite the marks that indicated it had been dragged to its present position. 

With great effort, Cloud moved, almost in a crawl, to the enormous sword. Weakly, he outstretched an arm toward it and touched the handle. His hand slowly closed around it. Nothing. The young man let a soft grunt escape his lips, his inward efforts to move the object failed. Earlier, he had been unable to lift it into the air. Now, he was unable to even budge it from its place. 

The evil that was Jenova had once invaded his body like a hostile cancer. Yet here, without it, he was left helpless and confused. Abandoned by the alien force that had granted him the strength to fight for the Planet's welfare. Cloud attempted one further burst of strength. With a hushed cry, he collapsed on the stone floor and plunged into darkness.  

* * *

"Well, this is it."

Cid narrowed his gaze at the horizon before him. He and the rest of Avalanche, with the exception of their ailing leader Cloud, had gathered at the entrance of Bone Village to change history. As the result of a strange mako explosion, the group had been propelled back into the past and given a second chance of sorts to save their friend. Aeris Gainsborough was destined to die the very next day, the victim of a madman's campaign to destroy the world. But the team was here to prevent that, regardless of the consequences. 

So it was decided that they help their past counterparts in their mission. It was the feeling of most of the group that the best way to save Aeris would be to combine the efforts of both parties. And here they were, loaded with the best weapons and materia the Planet had to offer, ready to assist in the alteration of history, to cheat destiny at its own game. 

Tifa peered at the group of people approaching the forest that encircled Bone Village. But it wasn't just any group - it was them. Avalanche. As they were before they witnessed the demise of their comrade. But the fates, as it happened, had other ideas. 

The thunder of gunfire echoed from out of nowhere, followed by an eruption from the forest separating the two teams. The time-displaced group watched in bewilderment as several large trees toppled over, obscuring the path to the village, followed by a stampede of monsters of various size and shape toward the approaching Avalanche. 

"What the hell?!" The cigarette flew out of Cid's mouth as his eyes went wide at this unexpected intrusion. He could still barely see through the ravaged forest, the former team engaging in battle with the rampaging beasts. "What the hell just happened?!" He turned back to the rest - each of whom were equally shocked. 

"Goddamit, I don't know!" Barret threw his arms up in disgust at the events unfolding before his eyes. "I heard some gunshots...!!"

"We've got to help them," Tifa stepped forward, her fists raised and ready.

"By the time we cut through that mess," Cid turned his gaze back to the gathered team, "It'll be over. They can take care `a themselves. Or at least WE can." The old pilot narrowed his eyes as he turned back to the fallen trees, "While we wait for them to get here, I say we find out who the hell is screwin' with us!" 

Red XIII carefully examined the surrounding terrain, "I believe I have an idea."

"Well tell us!" Cait Sith hopped up and down on the head of his giant cave moogle. =

"Where is Vincent?" The crimson beast posed in a collected voice, "The gunfire resembled that of the Death Penalty." It was then that the other s noticed the absence of their enigmatic comrade. 

"What?!" Yuffie Kisaragi hopped down from her lookout tree near the team, "Why would Vincent try to sabotage our mission?!"

"That's what I intend ta find out," Barret spat through clenched teeth=

Red XIII raised his head and sniffed into the air. After a few seconds, he lowered his head and began to follow some unseen trail. The rest of the group followed, Cid and Barret took up the rear, cursing these new circumstances.

Red didn't have far to walk. After a few minutes of travel through the thick forest east of Bone Village, they found their former ally sitting atop a large boulder. His shotgun rested across his lap, he watched their arrival as if he had been waiting for them. At first, he offered no form of explanation.

"What the hell is going on here, Turk?!" Barret was the first to - very vocally - voice his concerns. "Are you crossin' back over to the Shinra after all?! Maybe you're in cahoots with Sephiroth! Huh? You were pretty chummy with his mother, Lucrecia!"

Vincent stared in silence. He made no move to validate his action or even to plea for understanding. Without another word, he rose to his feet and gently leapt to the ground. It was then that Barret moved forward to apprehend the crimson figure. Vincent simply stared into the bloodshot eyes that glowered down at him, making no move to prevent his capture.

"Talk!!" Barret roared into the shorter man's face, "Now!! Why the hell'd you try to screw this up for us?!" Cid and Tifa approached the two men, Red and Cait kept their distance but fixed their eyes on what was unfolding. Yuffie simply perched herself on a high branch and watched with anticipation what she thought would be an interesting fight. "Are you gonna start flappin' your pale gums or am I gonna rip your other arm off?!" Barret thundered. 

Vincent lowered his head and drew in a short breath, "Do you want to defeat Sephiroth?" 

"What?" Cid took his cigarette out of his mouth, "What do you mean `do we want to beat Sephiroth?' We did it already!"

"Yes," Vincent turned to the gruff old pilot, "But what if you went into the battle knowing the outcome?" 

Tifa looked to Cid, and then to Vincent, "Wait. I see where you're going with this." Cid and Barret turned their attention to Tifa as she collected her thoughts. "You think - that if we meet the other team and tell them that we WILL eventually beat Sephiroth, they'll get over-confident and blow it?"

"Easy enough," Cait bounded over to them, "We just won't tell `em!" 

"How would we hide that delineation?" Red XIII padded up to Cait and peered at him with his yellow eye, "The very fact that we are here from the future betrays that truth."

"Precisely," Vincent agreed.

"Wait," Cid blew a current of smoke out of the corner of his mouth, "You big brains are forgetting one thing. This is us we're talking about! We'll know better than to get all cocky just before the main event!" 

"Cid's right!" Barret declared, "We ain't no wet-behind-the-ears rookies! We'll march into Sephiroth's hole in the ground and kick his ass just like before!" He scowled for a moment and amended, "Wether we know for sure we're gonna win or not!"

"Really?" Vincent turned back to the towering ex-miner with a raised eyebrow, "There wouldn't be even some small fraction of your subconscious that would sit back and wait for victory to be handed to you?" The ex-Turk regarded Barret evenly awaiting a response. 

"No!" Barret shouted.

"Barret," Red XIII approached his arguing comrades, "You could not be certain beyond a shadow of a doubt that your knowledge would not affect the outcome." 

"Okay, okay," Cid broke in, "Say we don't want to let the other Avalanche in on the big secret. How the hell do we stop Aeris from gettin' killed?"

"We shall have to assist our counterparts in a more," Red paused in reflection, "-indirect manner."

"And HOW do we do that, hairball?" snapped Barret. 

"I think I got an idea," Cid triumphantly exhaled a ring of smoke. 

 

* * *

Her tiny feet gently touched the smooth, polished stone steps as she ascended to the altar. Below her, crystal clear water glistened like a precious gem. The water was so clean, she could see straight to the bottom of the underground lake. A light mist rolled over the surface of the fluid and caressed the structures situated around the water. 

Inside the Ancient Capital, a series of pillars and platforms were littered about the body of water. Aeris instinctively picked the exact dias where she would begin her attempt to save the Planet from destruction by the dread force Meteor. She gracefully walked into the center of the circular altar and descended to her knees. She folded her hands in front of her, closed her eyes and lowered her head.

Then she began to pray.

 

* * *

"Okay, here's the deal."

Yuffie stared across the counter top into the eyes of the shop keeper at the Bone Village Inn. "All that stuff we gave you," she turned back to the large man standing behind her for a moment and continued, "The weapons, the materia - all of it - you sell to the next blonde, spikey-haired dude that comes in here. Don't sell it to anyone else, and don't tell him where you got the merchandise." 

The shop keeper scratched his head for a few seconds before he responded, "Oh, uh I guess I can handle that." Beads of sweat started to form on his forehead as the large man standing behind Yuffie glared down at him with ire and suspicion. 

"Alright then," Yuffie turned away and strolled outside. Barret watched the young ninja leave, and as soon as she was gone, he reached over with his good hand and grabbed the merchant by the collar. 

"And one more thing," Barret hissed. He effortlessly lifted the man into the air to his own eye level. "You pocket so much as one piece of materia," he ground his teeth and continued, "I'll come back in here and land on you with both feet." Barret watched the man in silence for a few seconds before releasing him and following Yuffie. 

Outside, Cid and the others were making ready to leave. "Awright," the old pilot barked, "We put the Area 5 Key back where it should be, the Lunar Harp is in the ground where the diggers'll find it when the others get here, and we still have our Lunar Harp from our own time." Cid puffed on his cigarette and turned to the entrance of the Sleeping Forest.

"Wait," Yuffie walked over to the forest edge and looked in, "The last time we came this way, Aeris was killed. Shouldn't we change strategies?"

"We are," Tifa stepped forward. "We'll get there almost two days earlier. Last time we had to wait for the excavators to find the Harp, and then we rested in one of the ancient huts. But this time we already have a harp, and plenty of rest."

"Then POW!" Cait Sith bounded over to the forest, "We'll whup Sephy but good!" 

"Let us not waste any more time," Vincent walked toward the darkened woods, "The fate of Aeris and the Planet depends on us." With an exchange of nods, Avalanche advanced into the forest and faded from sight.

 

* * *

"No."

Cloud Strife lay face down on the cold stone floor. A slight whisper escaped his lips, his eyelids were barely open, just enough to let a flicker of light catch the dull blue in his eyes. There was a time when his eyes would almost glow an unholy shade of blue. The inhuman tint would garner many a second glance from anyone who crossed his path. He could still hear her voice on that first day they met. 

/... _Your eyes. They have a strange glow_.../

"...that's the sign of those who have been infused with Mako..." Cloud whispered to the shadow inside his head, "...a mark of SOLDIER..." He remembered how she used to look at him, a slight smile on her lips, an understanding gaze. She knew him better than he knew himself. 

/ ... _Come on, let's go! Bodyguard!_ ... /

Cloud dug his fingers into the cracks in the floor, the imperfections in the stone. He pulled with all of his might, his arms were shaking under the tremendous strain. He was her bodyguard. He couldn't fail her. The young warrior gasped as he managed to drag himself an entire foot across the unforgiving surface. He felt himself about to lose consciousness, and a different voice called to him through the clouds in his mind. 

/... _it's 'cuz of you that Sephiroth got the Black Materia in the first place. It's your damn fault!_.../

"...my fault..." Cloud closed his eyes. He could almost see the piercing glare in Barret's eyes; the knives he stared down at Cloud as he lie there, helpless. "...my fault..." 

 

* * *

Reeve furrowed his brow as he watched the crimson winds screech across the Planet. He stood in a tower in the Kalm Town, a village he and the entire population of Midgar had sought refuge when it seemed Meteor would smite the sprawling metropolis from the face of the Planet. It was just moments ago he had watched his friends, Avalanche, get sucked into the Lifestream by a sudden Mako eruption near Midgar. The rocky goliath had disappeared from the sky in the blinding eruption of light and magic, but the atmosphere remained the dark shade of crimson. Hurricane-force winds roared over the metallic remains of Shinra's city, the blood colored sky was still filled with debris. 

He could still hear those high pitched whistles that the wind made, the Cry of the Planet, as he had come to call it. Even though the dreaded Meteor had vanished from the sky, Reeve could not help but shake the gnawing feeling that the Planet was still in danger. But since the Highwind was snatched out of the sky by the emerald geyser, he had no contact with the Cait Sith model or any of his friends' PHS's. He was helpless to do anything. He wondered how well Cait's AI program was coping with whatever the group was up against now. It was only an experimental design, but Reeve tried to convince himself it would stand up to the task. 

A sudden Mako eruption in the distance pulled the Shinra Exec from his thoughts in shock. He saw two more disturbances that followed, all of which seemed to encircle Midgar. After they had died down, the industrialist turned away from the window and carefully descended the crooked steps into the celebration taking place on the ground floor. Former Shinra soldiers and slum dwellers alike embraced each other in a victorious spirit. A huge festival had broken out the instant Meteor disappeared from the sky= Reeve found one of the former military captains amongst the crowd and grabbed him by the arm. 

"Get the word out," he called into the man's ear above the singing and merriment, "Midgar's off limits until whatever this is passes!" The soldier nodded and made his way through the crowd to spread the news. Reeve watched the excitement all around him for a few minutes more before he felt a light tug on his sleeve. He was filled with a sudden sense of dread. He knew exactly who was tugging on his arm. This time there was no escape "Hi Marlene!" Reeve forced a smile as he crouched down to the little girl. 

"Hey mister Reeve," the young lady bubbled, "Did'ya hear from my dad yet? Is he coming home soon?" 

It took all of his effort to keep a smile on his face, "Oh, I'm sure he'll be along soon, Marlene!" The little girl nodded slowly, Reeve thought for sure she could see right through his act. "Say, why don't you go back to the Inn with Elmyra? She's probably wondering what you're doing out so late. C'mon, I'll walk you there." As they moved through the continuing celebration, Reeve hoped the pain in his chest would subside, at least for awhile. 

 

* * *

"I don't remember this part of the Sleeping Forest."

Cid crunched his teeth on the filter of the cigarette hanging out of his mouth while he stared intently at the foliage ahead. "Last time we just waltzed through this place, and not so much as a blade of grass got in our way."

Red XIII walked ahead of the group, sniffing the air around him. Something was obviously not right. He couldn't pick up any kind of indication with his remarkable tracking abilities that they were headed in the right direction. He perked his ears at the surrounding sounds of the forest, trying at least to pick up some beacon that would set them on the correct path. 

"Highwind," Yuffie snapped from the back of the group, "Did you mess something up on the Lunar Harp?!"

"Shut yer pie hole!" Cid barked. The pilot lifted the ancient instrument out in front of him and waited for something to happen. Nothing. Dense trees and plants enshrouded every direction. 

Vincent, Barret and Tifa walked side-by-side behind Cid and RedXIII, ahead of Yuffie and Cait, in the center of the group. The ex-Turk simply watched the environment around him, lost in thought. Suddenly, Cid stopped short. Red XIII stood motionless, his eye glaring forward, his teeth clenched, poised for an attack. 

"Someone is observing us," he whispered through his bared fangs. 

Vincent raised his shot gun, Barret raised his gimmick arm, Tifa turned to the forest and took up a fighting stance. Cid held his spear up and slowly moved to the center of the group. Without saying a word, the group exchanged nods, and readied for battle. 

Then there came the silence. It seemed as though every insect, every creature that dwelled within the forest stopped and watched them. All eyes an ears among the trees and leaves fell upon the new visitors. The Sleeping forest was awake and watching. 

Without a sound, he came. Like a regal king, he strode out of the foliage behind them with a dignified grace. They were the trespassers. He - belonged there. They were interfering with his plans. But he would suffer their ignorance no longer. 

"Sephiroth," Vincent whispered as he eyed the approaching menace. 

"We can do this," Tifa beckoned to others, "We did it before!

"Yeah," Yuffie raised her Conformer to he face as he continued to walk slowly toward them. He held his Masamune blade out in front of him, pointing it at Avalanche. "-But Cloud was with us," the young ninja amended. 

"I think I just realized why we didn't run inta any trouble on our first trip through this forest," Cid spoke in a hushed tone to his allies.

"Because Sephiroth was dealing with us, here," Tifa added, "Right now."

"Then let's give 'em something to remember!" Barret aimed at the silver-haired foe and fired! 

Somehow, Sephiroth inexplicably avoided the barrage and appeared directly in front of them. His mighty blade moved almost faster than the eye could follow! Barret felt a sharp pain in his abdomen, falling to his knees when his eyes lowered to meet the blood pooling beneath his massive body. Cait Sith bellowed into his microphone as his moogle wrapped its massive arms around the imposing villain. Vincent pointed his gun against Sephiroth's chest and pulled the trigger. In the blink of an eye, Sephiroth turned around, placing Cait's moogle into the barrel. The blast tore a large round hole into the automaton, forcing it to release the villain as it collapsed. Cid jabbed forward with his spear, but Sephiroth moved to one side and brought his sword upward, sending the foul-mouthed pilot sprawling into the nearby bushes. Vincent guarded against the blade with his metal claw, but the dangerous fiend kicked the ex-Turk in the bread basket, causing him to double over in pain. 

Suddenly, a bolt of lightning struck Sephiroth in the chest, and he flew backwards into the merciless dirt. Yuffie stood proud in victory, as the glow of the materia orbs in her weapon faded. But her victory would be premature. He was on his feet instantly, but not only that, he had somehow moved behind her. He gently placed his palm over her chin and yanked sharply. With a loud snap, Yuffie fell to the ground like a rag doll. 

Tifa landed a hard left hook to his jaw and followed through with her iron elbow pad. She continued her assault on Sephiroth, while Red XIII and Vincent approached the lifeless ninja. A wave of green light washed over her, and she was breathing again. 

Cid finally picked himself out of the bushes just as Tifa's unconscious form slammed into him from the sky. Red cast his gaze upon the callous antagonist, who was calmly walking toward them for another pass. 

"Hellfire!!" the crimson beast called to the heavens, and the Planet answered. 

Red XIII faded from sight as the ground began to crack and tremble. The fiery demon Ifrit burst from the shattered ground and ascended to the sky on unseen wings! It cast its unearthly eyes upon the approaching threat, a trickle of flame escaped its gaping maw. Without warning, it spread its arm wide and let out an ear-splitting roar! A surge of hellfire encased the monster and it soared through Sephiroth, before he knew what hit him. The trails of flame dissipated behind the staggering villain as Red XIII reappeared at his original location. The fiery creature slowly raised his head to survey what, if any, effect his summon spell had on their adversary. 

He was gone. 

"Damn!" Barret rasped as Vincent tried to help the large miner to his feet. "What the hell happened?!" 

"We dropped the fuckin' ball, is what!" Cid answered in a defeated tone as he and Tifa emerged from the woods. 

"Don't say that, Cid," Tifa tried to console her foul-mouthed comrade. "We gave our best weapons and materia to the others. It was just lucky R= ed had an extra Ifrit."

"It is fortunate that Sephiroth left," the beast added. "It wasn't a mastered piece of materia. I had only one shot."

"Enough belly-achin'," Barret grumbled, "We don't got time to sit here= lickin' our wounds! We gotta get to Aeris and NOW!" 

"We could," Vincent called over to him, "But I am afraid Yuffie is in no condition to go anywhere. Not without some rest, at least." The ex-Turk knelt next to the sleeping ninja and held her tiny hand in his. 

"Damn..." Cid walked over to them and looked down, "This definitely puts a crease in our plans." 

 

* * *

/ ... _I know you got problems... hell, we all do. But, you don't even understand yourself.... But you gotta understand that there ain't no gettin' offa this train we're on, till get to the end of the line_... /

The sound of Barret's voice echoed in Cloud's muddled head as he crawled across the cold stone walkway. "...end of the line..." he repeated in a whisper. The weakened warrior had managed to make it out of the room where Aeris had left him, dragging the Ultima Sword along the ground with him. He was almost to the capital chamber. The last place he saw her. The place where Aeris was destined to die. "... get to the end..." 

 

 

* * *

"Aerith's voice... coming from there?"

Cloud turned his head north as he stood in the intersection at the entrance to the Forgotten City. Cid and Tifa looked in apprehension at their unofficial leader, each silently praying that this would not be a preamble to any subsequent Jenova-episodes. The blonde hero rushed toward the sound of the unheard voice, following the path through a tunnel to the spiral shaped building. His friends followed closely, their newly-acquired = weapons at the ready. 

Beams of sunlight shone from above, an unsettling occurrence for the midnight sky that blanketed the surrounding area. Cloud and his comrades hastily ascended the long glass stairway to a huge, shimmering crystal city, suspended by what appears to be nothing but darkness. 

"Holy!" Cid whistled. 

The trio finally reached the city, a huge glistening lake filled with elegant structures. On one such platform, he saw her. Aeris knelt upon a small shrine and prayed. 

"Aeris?"

Cid and Tifa moved to follow their leader, but they stopped when he raised a hand to them. He turned back to the flower girl and watched her. The way the light kissed the top of her head. The grace of her hands folded in front of her, just below her chin. 

Cloud hopped onto a stone pillar protruding through the pure, blue water. His eyes never left the kneeling figure on the dias as he bounded across the lake on four more such pillars. When his feet touched down on the polished stone platform, he froze. In sheer stillness, he watched her. 

* * *

"Dammit, we're too late!" Cid barked in disgust as he and the rest of Avalanche raced toward the spiral dwelling in the Forgotten City. The time-displaced team had decided to camp for the night while they recovered from their injuries in battle with Sephiroth. With still a day before Aeris was supposed to be killed, they expected to arrive early and ambush the monster. But the Sleeping Forest had other ideas. It was the belief of Red XIII that they were purposely delayed by the Planet in order for Aeris to complete her prayer to Holy. So they wandered aimlessly through the densely-wooded area for nearly another day before being released here. And now it seemed they may be only in time to watch their friend die one more time. 

"We have to get to the crystal city!" Red XIII called back to his comrades as he galloped ahead at top speed. 

Yuffie gritted her teeth and ran as fast as her little legs would take her, even though the numbing pain threatened to strike her down on this very spot. Hers was the most severe of everyone's injuries, Sephiroth's attack had almost driven her from the very Planet. She secretly cursed herself for most likely being the one responsible for their eminent failure.

Red and the others raced into the structure and down the crystal steps. On the ledge just above the first Cid and Tifa, they witnessed history unfold one more time. 

He stood over her with his Buster Sword raised above him, about to strike her down. Cloud lowered his sword and shook his head, "Ugh... what are you making me do?" He spoke slowly, in a confused manner. Aeris slowly raised her head and saw Cloud. She smiled, the light dancing within her beautiful, emerald eyes. He stepped back, the delicate flower girl still smiling at him. 

Then HE came. From the bright white light above them, Sephiroth descended, like an angel of death, to take her from the world and return her to the Planet. With one sharp stroke, he would end the hopes and dreams that she and others had rested upon their future. No more dates. No more plays. No more bodyguards. There would be nothing but memories. This would be a good death. 

But not good enough. 

A reverberating clang erupted from where the ridiculously long Masamune would have pierced the small of her back. The extensive blade should have burst from her abdomen, ending her life, robbing her of what would be a bright future. 

Cloud stood, shakily, between Sephiroth and Aeris, holding with all his might the iridescent Ultima Sword against the Masamune Blade. And Cloud also stood, in front of Aeris, holding his Buster Sword at his side. 

The second Cloud leaned against the stone banister in an attempt to keep himself from collapsing. His eyes were barely open, a low grunt escaped his lips. Sephiroth looked upon the weak mercenary with wide eyes. Even he was shaken by this sudden interruption. The first Cloud was a little more than shaken by the appearance of a second Cloud. His mind was flooded with a million disjoint thoughts - another Sephiroth clone? 

The first Cloud barely remembered how he had managed to reach the small shrine, how he made it into the crystal city, how he climbed the back of the dias, and how he managed to gather the strength to deflect Sephiroth's blow. But he did it. And then he collapsed. 

"Cloud!" Aeris frantically knelt to her fallen bodyguard and tried to wake him. She looked back to the other Cloud, who simply watched in disbelief. If she called him Cloud, then who was he? 

That was all Sephiroth needed to assert control of the standing Cloud. He pressed his will against the young man, and this uncertainty easily unhinged him. His eyes glazed over as he became stripped of his own free will. He was no more than a puppet. The same puppet that handed the Black Materia over to Sephiroth. The silver-haired villain moved to Cloud's side, the standing one, and made ready to finish what he started. 

Aeris knelt next to the fallen Cloud and looked woefully into his eyes He had just saved her, but at what price? He was obviously in a great deal of pain. Cloud, on the other hand, was oblivious to all this. When he finally returned to the waking world, he parted his eyes slowly and what he saw chilled his very blood. Sephiroth, and himself, Cloud, slowly moved forward and prepared to kill them both.


	5. FALL FROM GRACE

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was written by Bittersweet.

_I used to believe that I was omnipotent._

_Yeah, me, Cloud Strife omnipotent. I don't know exactly how that came to be, but I'm guessing it began shortly after Zack died. I blamed his death entirely on myself. I don't know why, but I did. In a way people can't help but feel that maybe there was something more they could've done, that perhaps they hadn't yet exhausted all the possibilities and if another attempt had been made it would've made a huge difference between life and death. The problem was that in some cases they just didn't make the effort._

_I hated Shin Ra. I hated them so much that I would vent my frustrations in the only manner I knew how. Violence became a way of life for me. I killed for anything. For money, for food, for a place to sleep. But most importantly I'd try and pick a fight with any Shin Ra officer I'd be lucky enough to come by and imagine they had the same face as those bloody guards did that rainy night Zack died._

_But it became too easy. Soon I forgot what I was fighting for. I forgot about Zack. I forgot about Shin Ra. All I knew was that I was the best. I became a cocky arrogant kid whom thought the world bowed itself at his feet. Now that I look back on everything, I sometimes begin to laugh at the irony._

_I began to hate myself._

* * *

"Stop this!" Aeris pleaded, fearfully covering Cloud's body with her own. She had one arm wrapped protectively around his side, curling her fingers around the coarse material of his uniform as if for dear life. All the while Sephiroth watched on, his mouth twitching into an evil grin as he swung the masamune back and forth in a graceful arc extending just above the ground.

Her eyes followed the swords every move, the glint of metal that edged closer and closer towards them until it almost just grazed the hem of her dress. But then it stopped, dangling perilously in mid air as Sephiroth began laughing maniacally with delight; his silver hair dancing around him on a sudden breeze that created an almost halo-like effect. 

Aeris backed closer against the marble wall keeping herself positioned between the weakened Cloud and the two utter strangers that stood before her. The expression on her face wild with alarm, she desperately scanned the area for any sign of help, of hope, anything that might indicate the planet would came to her aid as it had so many times before. She squeezed her eyes shut and tried to listen closely, listen for those voices, her mother's voice, the Cetra's voice anything that would signify the slightest bit of faith as the situation continued to weigh heavily upon her shoulders with dreaded consequence. Then all at once, as nothing but silence filled her ears, she knew they were going to die. 

"Don't do this Sephiroth." 

Her voice was soft. Not pleading anymore but soft, like the tone a mother would take with an angry child. But Sephiroth was no child. He eyed her with cold remorse a last word escaped her lips.

"Please."

His laughter stopped. Shaking his head, he took another step forward. For a moment, Aeris thought she caught a glimpse of sadness in his eyes; something which ignited a spark within this sadistic man; something which was ready to tear away the mask. But then it was gone, replaced instantly with fixed resolve as he shifted his hold on the masumane, gripped it with his other hand and then slowly raised it above his head. 

* * *

_But then I met Avalanche. Along with them I met a woman called Aeris Gainsborough who for some odd reason reminded me more of Zack than anyone I had ever met. Whether it was because they were involved in the past of not, I don't know. But what I did know was that she was special. Special in a way that she was different from the rest, that everything she did was always for the good of the planet._

_For the good of something other than herself._

_I saw her die the first time. I had her, and Zack, my best friend, literally die in my arms. I watched helplessly just like that useless bystander, the person who would stand there and do nothing but observe the death of his two friends even though a part of him cried out to help them. Then I swore to myself._

_It would never happen again._

* * *

Just as Sephiroth brought down the sword Aeris felt her body being propelled towards the stone banister and her head came into contact with the hard marble floor. There was an ominous clang of metal against the ground followed by a terrible scream. She dared to look up. The shock on Clouds face was unmistakable. It was like some gruesome cross between horror and disbelief. The buster sword now hung loosely by his side.

On the floor sat Cloud, gasping for air while his hands groped at the blade of the sword embedded in his stomach, not caring as it's sharp edges cut into his skin. Rivulets of blood stream down his palms, staining his purple shirt with a dark crimson red. Aeris, unable to move or cry could only stare at him her body rendered in a temporary paralytic state. Somehow amidst his pain he managed a weak but definite smile. 

"Hey," he rasped, still trying to free the blade from his body. He coughed a bit, spewing out droplets of blood as Sephiroth stepped away from the fallen man. 

* * *

"This can't be happening."

Cloud thought his head spinning wildly as an exact mirror image of himself lay crumpled on the floor, eyes half closed as he teetered on the edge separating life and death. "This can't be happening." He repeated, wanting so much to believe that it was an illusion that appeared before him and not the real physical self of a man who was about to die. Slowly he looked up at his master whose face was twisted in a merciless sneer, head thrown back in laughter. 

"No," he whispered, tightening his grip on the buster sword. "No."

Then all at once, he cracked. 

The link was broken. 

"What the hell have you done?" he screamed suddenly, lunging forward in a blinding motion so fast that it caught the villain completely off guard. The sword neatly sliced through his side, leaving a long red gash where the black material had once been as Sephiroth doubled over in evident pain. Snarling, he knocked the sword out of Cloud's hands and flung him aside. 

"Fool," he hissed, yanking the masumane from the unmoving body as he prepared to make a swift retreat. 

But as he did Cloud found the strength to speak one last time. "I'll find you Sephiroth. Wherever you go I'll find you. I'll kill you." The voice was low and dangerous; his mako blue eyes glowing in hot anger as he wiped away a trickle of blood from the corner of his mouth. Sephiroth paid him no heed. With one agile leap he bounded across the stony pillars, shoving past a bewildered Tifa and disappearing into the shadows. Then with sudden finality the man with the black cape was gone. 

Not one to be deterred, Cloud rose up with a grunt, his eyes wild with anger. His gaze flickered back to the dying body behind him and the anger intensified more so to alarming levels. Glancing back at Sephiroths path of retreat, he started forward, picking up speed as he went until he had just about reached Tifa and Cid.

"Cloud?" she whispered tentatively, laying a hand on his shoulder. He shrugged it off. "Cloud, listen to me," she pleaded, looking at Cid for support. "We have to-" But before she could say another word, he ran off despite her pleas, towards the back entrance and Tifa, helpless, could only run after him with Cid following close behind.

* * *

Aeris, finally able to move scampered over to Cloud as she brought up a trembling hand to cover his wound. She could feel the warm blood pulsate beneath her hand, but refused to acknowledge it. His skin had gone a deathly pale, gray almost as she watched his courageous attempt to cling onto any last strand of life that bordered the boundary between what remained of the material world and the life stream that lay beyond. She watched his struggled efforts wishing, knowing that in another time another place that would've been her. That it should've been her lying there, dying, dead for all she cared. But it wasn't. And in this one selfless act, this man willingly sacrificed his life so that she may live to see the future. The revelation proved to be more than she could bear.

Unable to hold back the sobs, she leaned over and gently kissed him on the cheek. In a voice so soft it was barely audible, she whispered, "Goodbye Cloud," then she stood up and ran away from the altar, her footsteps the only sound which echoed against the sacred glass walls. 

* * *

_Eventually, men will fall. They will fall to a power far greater than theirs._

_I knew that someday I too would fall. I dare not say the word die; it sounds far too final. But then again, I never imagined that to embrace death would be so frightening. Not like this. Then why did I do it? Because it wasn't yet her time to fall. It never was. The blade was always meant for me._

_I don't regret it. I never will. The moment I thrust myself beneath his sword I fulfilled my own destiny. For once Cloud Strife did something that actually made his life a part of a greater cause than himself._

* * *

His breathing slowed. His eyes closed. Then time seemed to stop.

* * *

Tifa didn't know when she had finally realized that Cloud was dead. Perhaps it was when for no reason at all she started screaming so hysterically that it took the strength of both Barret and Vincent just to restrain her from jumping off the twenty foot ledge. But her cries would not cease. They continued even when her eyes started brimming with tears and her body entirely shaken by the turn of events collapsed. She refused to look down at the altar, even if it meant never having a last look at Cloud's face before he was gone and buried. She knew that the moment she did she might as well have been dead herself. Finally, the shock subsided, and she could do nothing but stare blankly at the wall.

"Tifa," Barret tried, laying a hand on her shoulder. She shrugged it off. 

"Go away, Barret," she mumbled. "Just go away." 

The massive man looked dejectedly at the ground but didn't raise any protest as he quietly made his way to his corner of the ledge. The others could only endure the silence in sorrow, few weeping for their lost friend as others expressed the loss in their own way. Cait Sith slowly, with much deliberation fished a green four leaf clover out of his pocket and held it up to eye level. He stared at it angrily for a while, then walked over to the tip of the ledge. He hesitated for a moment, but then viciously tossed it into the aqua blue waters below. For the first time in his life, the robotic cat named Cait Sith wished he could cry. 

* * *

Aeris kept on running. Faster and faster, till her legs were almost ready to buckle beneath her weight. Up the shimmering blue crystalline staircase, higher and higher when finally she saw a glimmer of light from above. With sudden resolve, she stopped short of reaching her destination and looked down into the inky blackness below. A smile highlighted her features. Lifting her arms up, she closed her eyes. Then she jumped, plunging into the encasing darkness, into the abyss when suddenly something jerked her back to reality. 

"Don't." She struggled against his grip, against the strong claws that firmly grasped her shoulders with increasing intensity. But they remained suspended in the empty void, both unsure as to how to respond to this sudden uncomfortable predicament. In an instant she knew who he was. Vincent and Aeris had never been very close. They spoke on occasion, but even then it was only over matters concerning the rest of the team, never dealing with personal issues of any kind. She stopped trying to unhinge his strong grasp and just simply let her body relax. Although she tried not to let it show, on the inside she was a mix of raw emotions. 

"Please let me go." 

Vincent; Chaos looked down at her fury no longer apparent in his demonic red eyes. Instead they enshrined a deep sadness, one which would not fade for a long time to come. When he didn't answer, she took the liberty of looking up at him her face questioning. 

"Why won't you let me go?" she demanded.

Chaos beast shifted his gaze upwards, not daring to meet her stare. When he finally answered, his voice sounded surprisingly human. 

"Why did you jump?"

"I didn't jump," she said lamely. "I fell. Besides, it isn't polite to answer questions with questions." 

Chaos beast shook his head. 

"I don't understand."

Her eyes flashed with indignation.

"You don't understand?" she yelled losing all self-control. "What the hell kind of person are you Vincent? Cloud's dead ok? He's dead!" The tears started flowing freely once again. "And he's never coming back."

She tried to lash out at him but to no avail. He simply avoided her every punch and kick with ease, waiting till the right moment to say what he had to say. He chose his words carefully; not wanting to upset her any further and give her that final incentive to go off the edge. 

"That's not what I don't understand," he replied gently letting the poor girl cry it out. "What I don't understand is why you would want to make his sacrifice entirely in vain. Cloud did it so you could live. Would you do him any good, any honor by taking your own life right now?"

She didn't stop crying, but she seemed to have given up her struggle. Convinced that she was, for the while, sedated he flew up towards the staircase and just her down just outside the exit to the shell house. Then his body shuddered and went through the painful metamorphosis of transforming back into his human self. 

As he was doing so, Aeris held herself with a strange calm, nothing like the frantic woman she was only moments ago. She looked deep in contemplation as Vincent took to notice, finally free of his beast-like form. He sighed and decided that she would be best left alone. But just as he began to descend down the staircase Aeris, much to his surprise called out "You're not the Vincent from my time are you?"

He shook his head. She deserved to know the truth. She nodded her head once then took another step towards the exit. "I see." After a moments pause she blurted out "Would you be willing to come with me? As much as I hate to admit, I can't succeed on this mission all by myself."

He stared at her. "You're kidding."

"No, I'm not. For once more than ever I'm sure. Cloud told me that in the end, it wasn't Holy that saved the planet." Her voice softened. "It was the lifestream. I want revenge on Sephiroth. For everything he's done and everything he's going to do." 

"This isn't like you Aeris." He answered firmly. "You're not thinking straight."

"Look, whether you choose to come with me or not, it's your choice. I'm only asking for your help. You have no obligation to accompany me."

Vincent quickly muddled through his options. He could either go and inform the team of Aeris' sudden decision to go fight Sephiroth alone and risk getting herself killed, with the possibility that she might not even be there when he got back, or he could do what he could to protect her� like Cloud would've done. Frozen with indecision, she took his silence as a refusal and advanced into the shell house.

"Aeris." 

He fell into step with her. "Let's go." 

* * *

"What do you mean they just left?!"

"Exactly what the word means you jackass! Took off, moseyed on, whatever you want to call it, they just bloody left!"

Yuffie cringed and tried to close off her ears to the ongoing argument between the former Avalanche leader and irritable old pilot. After the other group had disappeared, Red XIII came to realize that their stoic friend was missing and went to investigate. He returned a bewildered look adorning his face as he relayed the disturbing news to the rest of the team. They'd been too stunned following Cloud's death that they had completely overlooked the disappearance of both Aeris and Vincent nearly an hour ago. Now Yuffie found herself understandably worried.

Here they were, faced with the death of a dear friend whose body they had left on the altar, still hiding from the Avalanche in this present time and with the knowledge that two of their members had just decided to take off. At this rate Yuffie figured things couldn't possibly get any worst. 

"So what do we do now?" Cid asked wearily, tired of all the yelling and screaming as he raked through his dusty blonde hair with one free hand. Yuffie noticed the lines of worry creased across his forehead, more prominent than ever before. Even Barret began to resemble an old man, his back hunched over with such a defeated posture that if she hadn't known better, she would've guessed they had already lost the battle. 

"Only what we can do," Red quipped in, the only one who seemed to have had maintained a level head as the others had slowly allowed their frazzled nerves to overtake any sense of reason and order. 

"Go after them and somehow stall the other group so that we can reach Vincent and Aeris before they do. They took off right after the other team left." Red narrowed his eyes. "And we were fools not to follow Cloud, but that couldn't be helped. We were only just able to determine that Aeris and Vincent have been long gone since the other groups departure. We shouldn't have spent precious time afterwards looking for them." He sighed. "Anyway, It's only logical to think that Aeris would know the entire story by now, so having her and Vincent run into the other Avalanche could result most drastically. They don't need to know anything else, and with Cloud's death it's more than enough to rouse some suspicion. We can also infer that, most likely, Aeris and Vincent have also gone after Sephiroth complicating things even more."

All of them nodded in agreement, knowing that like many times before, Red was probably correct.

But to their surprise Tifa suddenly rose from her position then turned to look at him.

"Always the sensible one aren't you Red?" She snapped, concentrating on his face with a furious glare. "Always seeing everything in black and white. Well then I've got news for you; this isn't exactly the perfect picture world you're so used to Red. Do you realize what this means?" 

She spoke through clenched teeth, and she spoke with outright anger. "It's inevitable! Cloud is going to die. He may be alive in this time, but sooner or later he's going to die. And it's all because that bitch decided to go off praying for Holy when she clearly knew that that useless piece of materia would do nothing to help in aiding the planet. In fact, it had such an adverse effect I'm beginning to wonder whether her intentions were as good and true as she had us believe." 

Several of them started at the accusation, but Tifa refused to stop.

"I hope you don't expect me to continue on this insane mission because honestly, I don't have any heart left. So if any of you have even the slightest bit of decency you'll allow me to walk away and never come back."

With that she turned and strode purposely out of the shell house.

Silence reigned.

"Damn," Cid cursed, lighting a cigarette. 

* * *

Tifa exited the house. Looking around her, she caught sight of the pathway leading out of the City of the Ancients, and with no hesitation took the fork in the road. 

Suddenly she whipped around and paused. She seemed to be listening intently to her surroundings, as though expecting to find something there. At last convinced that her mind must've been playing tricks on her, she continued down the stony gravel road, completely unaware of the pair of eyes watching her from the shadows.

* * *

"Bloody hell, I can't believe she did that!" 

Cid glared at him. "Shut y'er yap," he hollered, dropping the cigarette to the ground and extinguishing the flame. "Tifa did what she thought was best. She'll come back to us in her own time." 

"In the meanwhile what are we going to do?" Cait Sith asked, voicing the unspoken question. The other group is already about an hour ahead of us. I mean, this is US we're talking about. Knowing Cloud they're not going to be stopping for rest anytime soon."

"We go after them," Red stated, although a bit shaken up by Tifa's sudden departure. "There's really no other option. Unless we reach Vincent and Aeris before we do-"

"We've been through this before Red." Yuffie put in, clearly annoyed at the way the conversation was going. Despite her wounds she still managed to keep up a strong front, if not for herself then the sake of everyone else.

"At this rate, we're never going to catch up to them. So I say we start moving or risk falling a days behind everyone else. Catch my drift?"

There were a few sighs, but no complaints. "Lets go," Red said grimly, leading the way out of the house. One by one they followed until all that remained was Cait Sith and Yuffie who still hadn't moved out of their present positions. 

"Come on," Caith Sith tried, bouncing up and down on his moogle enthusiastically. "Aren't you the least bit excited at the prospect of saving the planet all over again."

Yuffie rolled her eyes, but didn't comment. Cait Sith slowed down his bouncing and uncomfortably shifted his gaze. "It's never going to be the same, is it."

For some odd reason, the window seemed to beckon to her. She hobbled over to it and looked out at the familiar terrain. "No it's not."

"Yuffie, the team's waiting." 

She bowed her head low. "Give me a minute."

Respecting her wishes, the big fat moogle was gone and she was left alone.

* * *

A week had past since they began the journey to the Icicle Lodge. The harsh climate and cold weather conditions hadn't improved any since the last time, and if he had known any better, it had only gotten worse. Fortunately most of the monsters adapted to this snowy region had decided to stay in, only wandering out when they were absolutely famished and therefore, they rarely encountered anything that wasn't human. 

Most of the trip was also spent arguing, mainly over in which direction they were going or whether they were heading the right way. No one really had a clear picture of the path they had taken before, so at times they found themselves completely lost while at others they cheered after coming upon a familiar landmark in hopes that they would reach their destination before sunset.

Lack of good weapons and materia had also rendered them considerably weak, which was seen as a major set back in Red's eyes. According to what had happened in the past, they had a good chance of running into the Turks. At their present state he doubted they could win a full-out battle which would further inhibit their ability to overtake the present time Avalanche and prevent imminent disaster. Right now, though, he was more worried about the rest of his teammates than anything else.

Yuffie had been unusually quiet during the entire time, not exactly bringing out the best of her obnoxious personality whilst everyone else seemed to be trying to put Cloud's death behind them and concentrate on the task at hand. But he could still smell their fear. Fear of being the next to die, fear of whether without Cloud they would have the strength to make it through to the very end. He wanted to push aside their doubts and in one endearing monologue make everything seem alright, but he knew he couldn't. Their confidence had been shattered, and he began to wonder whether anything would be able to put the pieces back together again. 

Finally an end seemed in sight as they rounded the bend and the twinkling lights of the Icicle lodge came into view. It was nearing midnight and the team, far too tired to simply yell for joy picked up the pace as the vibrant little village began to dim the lights in preparation for the night.

But before they could advance any further, a voice called out to them.

"So we meet again."

Red instinctively froze on the spot. Turning around and much to his horror, his worst fears were confirmed.

Standing not more than five feet away was Elena. Her blond hair was swept meticulously to one side of her head and hazel brown eyes were narrowed in concentration. She wore a polished blue suit and was flanked on both sides by guards armed with rifles as she daringly stepped forward closing the distance between them.

"You killed Tseng."

Her face lighted up with a smile.

"And now it's my turn to kill you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NOTE FROM FRANK: This chapter might be a little confusing, and it's not Bitterweet's fault. I didn't realized how difficult it would be to write for two sets of the same characters at the same time. So if some of you out there are lost, here's a brief rundown of the situation:
> 
> The future Cloud has been killed. The past Cloud has run off, and all the past members have followed him. Aeris and the future Vincent have set out after Sephiroth on their own. The future Tifa has left the group. The rest of the future team in now in Icicle Inn confronting Elena. Hopefully, this will clear up any confusion.


	6. FRIEND OR FOE

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was written by Chris.

Cid began to think quickly what they had done last time they were here. 

Elena was now bringing her hand back for the punch

"Oh yeah! Dodge left!" Cid thought. He ducked to the left as Elena swung.

She toppled over and began to roll down the hill, screaming as she went.

"Elena!" cried the two Shinra guards that had accompanied her, as they run down the hill after her.

"That was easy enough" said Yuffie

"Yeah," said Cid, pulling cut a cigarette and turning to the group. "Now what do we do?"

No one spoke for a moment then came the voice of Red XIII.

"I suggest we head for Holozoffs Cabin. That is where we headed the last time, is it not?" he said.

"You'll get no argument from me," said Cait

"Alright then, let's go" said Cid and they headed off towards Gaea's Cliff.

* * *

Tifa continued to walk aimlessly through the forest. The silence was nerve racking.

I guess that's why its called the Sleeping Forest, thought Tifa. She continued to walk down the path, but then stopped and sat down up against a tree. She sighed and thought. She thought about yelling at Aeris and then she thought about leaving the group and she sighed again.

 _Maybe it was a mistake to leave,_ she thought. _It was really selfish._

She continued to ponder on it and came to a decision.

"That's it. I'm going back," she said. She got up and started to run back down the path towards the City of the Ancients. Suddenly she saw a figure in the brush about 10 feet in front of her. Tifa came to stance, preparing for the worst. The figure did not move.

"Show yourself!" yelled Tifa. The figure began toward her. The light slowly began to reveal the face, and Tifa was surprised to see who it was.

"Rufus," Tifa said not coming out of stance. Rufus stopped and held up his hand.

"Easy, Miss Lockheart. I'm not going to hurt you," he said.

Tifa glared at him looking for some hint of deception. She saw none. She came out of stance but she kept her senses at full alert in case of trickery.

"It's just Tifa, Rufus," she said, "What do you want?"

Rufus just smiled and began to circle Tifa.

"Funny, I was going to ask you the same question."

"What?" Tifa said not taking her eyes off of Rufus.

"Why are you here?" he repeated. "Why are you not with the rest of your little party?" 

Tifa began to search her mind for a quick answer.

"I'm... looking for Cloud," she said. "He's missing" 

Tifa bit her lip. _You idiot,_ she thought, _just let Rufus know he's missing. Now he'll have all of Shinra out looking for him on a search and destroy mission._

"And the rest of the group?" asked Rufus. Tifa began to look for another excuse. She was running out of things to make up.

"Um... probably looking for me. I left on my own to find Cloud while they were asleep."

Rufus chuckled. 

"Wrong, I just received a report from Elena over my PHS. They are in Icicle Inn and they are heading for Gaea's Cliff as we speak."

"Your point Rufus?" said Tifa

"My point is that they seem to have no interest in you or Cloud for that matter," he said. "They are just worried about themselves and all the glory they are going to receive for there work."

"They are not fighting for glory, Rufus," said Tifa angrily. "They are fighting to save the planet from destruction."

Rufus began to laugh. Tifa was now getting mad. This little game of his was getting old, fast.

"What's so funny?" she demanded

"You are so naive," he said between laughs. TIfa was now seconds from making Rufus a greasy spot in the dirt. He finally stopped laughing. He looked at her and smiled.

"Come with me, Tifa," he said. "Since it seems that I am the only one that gives a damn about you"

"Why should I?" said Tifa letting her anger die down.

"Because like I said, I am the only one that seems to give a damn about you." 

Rufus extended his hand

Tifa thought about it. How could she go with him? He was the enemy. The one she was fighting against to save the planet.

"No," she said softly, "I... I can't." 

Rufus lowere his hand and came in close to Tifa

"Why not? I promise I won't hurt you," he said

Tifa thought about his offer again. She scanned his voice in her head searching for anything that would give a hint of his intentions. She could find nothing, but she sensed something in his voice. It was almost an urgency, like he was in...she shook the thought from her mind. Impossible, she thought to herself.

"Well?" asked Rufus extending his hand again.

Tifa took and deep breath and answered. "Alright," she said softly and reluctanly took his hand, "but if you do anything to me or the rest of AVALANCHE while I'm with you, I swear I'll rip you apart. You hear me?!"

Rufus smiled wickely, "Fair deal," he said and they headed back toward Bone Village.

* * *

Cid and company ended up at Holozoff's Cabin towards the end of the day. The sun was just beginning to fall behind the mountains. Cid could not be happier. He was just one more complaint from throwing Yuffie back down the slope. She had complained so much about not being able to walk in the cold snow that Cait had ended up carrying her up the slope in his big moogle arms.

"Are we there yet, Cid? Now my arms won't move," she said in her best whiney voice. Cid stopped.

 _1...2......10!!!_ he thought. He turned and headed for Yuffie. Barret jumped in front of him.

"Don't, Cid," he said. "As much as I would love to throw that pain in the ass back down the hill myself we are just a few minutes from the cabin. Just put up with it a little longer." 

Cid breathed deep, turned, and started back up the hill.

Within a few minutes they arrived at the cabin door. Cid knocked. A friendly voice told them to come on in and they entered the cabin.


	7. TIME TRAVAILS

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was written by Frank Verderosa.

The wind howled. It swirled around Cloud as he made his way up the steep slope. The rocks were ice cold to the touch, as well as jagged. His hands were already covered with scratches and so cold he could barely feel them. He had little protection from the freezing weather. He had no winter cloths. If he had thought about it, he would have been worried that the numbness in his limbs would soon lead to frostbite. If he had thought about it, he probably would have had second thoughts about tackling the Gaea cliffs in this kind of weather. 

But he hadn't thought about it. He struggled onward, ignoring the cold. In a way the numbness was a relief. He didn't want to feel anything anymore. He didn't want to think about anything. He had only one purpose, to get over the Gaea cliffs, to find Sephiroth.

But even so, even with the mindnumbing cold, even with the distance he had covered, the questions still plagued his mind, questions he couldn't make go away, no matter how hard he tried. He didn't understand what had happened at the City of the Ancients. Someone had died, someone who had looked just like him. Someone had sacrified their life to save Aeris. Had it been some kind of clone?

What other explanation was there?

Hojo had tried many times to make someone like Sephiroth before he had finally succeeded. All those men with the tatoos, all those imitations. Had there been some of him as well? Did that mean that there were more? Were there other Cloud's beside the one he had just seen? Were there other imitations of him as well, and if that were true, how did he know he wasn't one of the imitations?

Could what Sephiroth have told him really be true? Could he just be a Jenova filled puppet? Could his whole life, everything he remembered, everything that made him what he is, all be a lie? 

He pulled himself up over the rocks to find himself standing suddenly in front of the dark entrance to a cave. He stoppped for a moment, turning to look back the way he had come. He couldn't see much in the gathering darkness. A light snowfall further obstructed his view. Occasionally through the softly falling snow he could make out the glimmer of a light below, a light he assumed marked the location of Mr. Holozoff's cabin. It was far below him. It had taken him almost all day to get to this point. The path up the cliff was hard to follow, with many twists and turns, false trails and dead ends. But somehow Cloud always selected the correct direction. Somehow he could tell which way Sephiorth had gone. There was some kind of connection between them. Something else he didn't understand.

Cloud stepped into the cave, hardly noticing the relief it brought from the bitter wind. He sat down on a rough edged boulder. Even in his present state he kenw he was close to exhaustion. He couldn't go on without rest.

Somewhere his friends were following. He was sure of that as well. He knew they wouldn't just abandon him or the chase, even thought he wished they would. It had been a mistake, he realized now. I had been a mistake to involve them in this. Aeris had nearly died, had come so close to death he still shivered at the thought of it. He didn't want that to happen to any of his friends. He didn't want them to get hurt.

If there was a way he could make them turn around, he would. But he knew them too well for that. He knew they would follow. He knew they'd go on even if he told them he didn't want them to, even if he told them to go back. He admired them for it, but it also made him that much more sure they were better off left behind.

He pulled himself to his feet. He didn't know how far behind him they were. He didn't want them to catch up. He knew if they did, he wouldn't be able to leave them behind again.

He stepped back out on the slope, gritting his teeth as the cold wind swept around him again. He was close to the top. He could feel it. Not much farther to go, and somewhere on the other side Sephiroth was waiting. He didn't have time to rest if he wanted to get to Sephiroth before the others. This was between the two of them. He realized that now. The others would just be a burden to him, just another reason to worry. Aeris had almost died, he didn't want to risk his friends lives anymore. He knew what he had to do now. He had to go on and face Sephiroth...alone.

* * *

"Are you alright?"

Aeris nodded, though she did not lift her head. She was lying and she knew he knew it. Her face was flushed, her breathing irregular. She felt queasy, as if she were about to throw up. She lifted her arm and wiped the sweat from her forehead and saw her hands were trembling. She felt as if she were burning up inside.

She could feel Vincent's eyes boring into her.

She glanced up to see he was indeed staring at her, an openly skeptical look on his face.

She looked around for a moment, then eased herself down on a large rock that stood beside the trail they were on. There was no sense in trying to fool Vincent. 

"It's the lifestream," she said slowly. "It's in turmoil. I feel it. Something is very wrong, and it's not just because Sephiroth wants to summon meteor..."

Her voice faded into silence. She had tried to finish this, had prayed to holy, so that they could all be saved. She had known it was dangerous, had known that it could very well mean her death, but she had been willing to pay that price. She had been content knowing that by her sacrifice she could save others, that she could save her friends.

But it had all gone wrong. Vincent had explained to her that Cloud and the others had come back to save her, that she had in fact been destined to die. It hadn't happened. They had changed history, or at least that was how Vincent explained it. She wasn't sure she understood all that he said. All she knew was that someone else had died in her stead, someone that had not been fated to die.

"Cloud has died in my place," she said slowly. She heard her voice falter. She couldn't get the sight of Sephiroth's sword passing through him out of her head. She had been so resigned to the possibility of her own death, but she had not expected this. She felt tears forming in her eyes. She took a deep breath and fought to gain a hold of herself. She wanted to fling herself to the ground and cry until no more tears could be wrung from her, but this was not the time. There was just too much that needed her attention, too many things that were too important to put off. She had to be strong. She could mourn later. 

"But it wasn't supposed to happen that way," she continued. "Somehow it has caused confusion if the lifestream. Everything is in upheavel. I can feel it. I've never felt anything like it before."

Vincent strode over and sat down beside her, almost as if he wished to comfort her. If it were anyone else she would have expected a reassuring hand on her arm or shoulder, but he did not touch her.

"So what does this mean?" he questioned.

Aeris slowly shook her head. 

"I don't know," she replied. "I don't know what we've set in motion. I don't know what kind of damage has been done, if any, or if it can be recovered from. I suspect nothing like this has ever happened before. It may just take a period of adjustment and then the lifestream will calm down again. Or we may have set something in motion that..."

Again she fell silent.

"That what?" Vincent prodded her. He could tell whatever she was thinking was deeply disturbing her. 

"I don't know," she repeated. "Maybe nothing..and maybe, a lot. 

Vincent eyed her calmly for a moment.

"Worse case?" 

Aeris hesitated.

"Worse case," she said slowly, as if to herself. "The worst case is that my survival has torn a hole in the lifestream, a hole whose edges will continue to tear, growing larger and larger, until it eventually rips the entire lifestream apart, and with it, the planet itself."

Vincent's eyes flashed for a moment. It was the only sign of emotion that showed on his chiseled features.

"I have to admit, that's a pretty serious worst case," he said slowly.

Aeris nodded in agreement with Vincent's understatement.

"What are the odds of it?" he inquired.

"I have no idea," Aeris replied. "Perhaps Bugenhagen would know, but I don't."

Or Ifalna, Aeris thought. How she wished for her mother's counsel. She called out silently, but the lifestream was fragmented. She could not understand any of the voices she heard. She could not get through to her mother, now when she needed her most.

"So what do we do?" Vincent questioned.

Aeris shrugged.

"My plan was to stop Sephiroth," she said. "It hasn't changed. Cloud's after him, as well as the others. They've got quite a head start on us by now. I'm afraid I don't have the strength to catch up with them. But somehow we must. We must get to Sephiroth before Cloud does."

Vincent turned away, staring ahead at the Gaea cliffs that loomed in the distance. 

"As the Chaos beast I can carry you over the cliffs," he stated. "Though I don't know how quickly I can do it. The beast is strong, but I've never tried to carry a person for an extended period of time. We probably will have to stop many times, but it will still be faster than walking. 

Aeris followed his gaze toward the mountains in front of them. Vincent was right, it would be a difficult task. Not only because of the distance, but the weather as well. It would be bitterly cold up there. Flying they would not even be afforded what little protection there was on the slopes of the cliff. They would be completely exposed to the elements. They did not even have time to stop to find suitable clothing. They would have to go as is. It seemed incredibly foolish to even attempt it, and she hesitated to expose Vincent to such danger, btu there was no other way.

"Thank you," she said.

Vincent did not reply, just stood up and looked at her expentantly. Just like Vincent. Once he had made up his mind there seemed little point to him in hesitating. Aeris wearily pulled herself to her feet beside him.

Vincent glanced at the cliffs in front of them once more, then turned to her again.

"If it does come to worst case," he said. "Is there anything we can do to prevent it?"

Aeris did not reply for a long time. 

"I'm not sure," she said finally, hesitantly. "Once the tear appears, it may be impossible to prevent things from getting worse. There's only one thing I can think of that might mend what has happened, and that is for me to fulfill my destiny."

Vincent's eyes widened at her words, but his features remained impassive.

"You all came back with the intention to save me," Aeris continued. "To right what had gone wrong. But you didn't think that that was the way it was meant to be. Perhaps no matter how hard we try, we can't change what must be. Perhaps it is inevitable that I must die."

* * *

Tifa walked silently beside Rufus. She didn't know why she had agreed to go with him. She didn't know what she was thinking, or what she should be thinking. Since they had found Aeris it almost seemed as if everything that was happening was a dream, or rather, a nightmare. And if so, she feverently wished she would wake up.

But it wasn't a dream. Cloud was dead. He had died in Aeris place. True, the Cloud from the past was still alive, but he was doomed. She felt tears stinging her eyes, and turned away so that Rufus wouldn't see. She told herself she couldn't do this now, she berated herself for being weak, but she could not get the tears to stop.

Cloud was dead, and she had blamed Aeris, had said those harsh words in front of the others. She regretted it now. She knew, deep down inside, that it wasn't Aeris fault. Cloud had done what he had to do, what he would have done for any of them. If she was going to blame anyone, she should blame Sephiroth. It was his sword that had done...

She almost sobbed aloud. She had to stop this! She had to pull herself together. She couldn't think about that right now or she would fall apart completely. She couldn't do that, not here, not in front of Rufus.

"We don't have to be enemies, you know," Rufus said conversationally. "We're both after the same thing."

Tifa did not reply for a moment, still stuggling to get a hold of herself. Eventually, she composed herself enough that she thought she could talk in a reasonably normal manner.

"What do you mean?" she asked softly.

"I mean, we both want to stop Sephiroth," he replied. "Isn't that what you and your little friends in Avalanche are trying to do?"

Tifa felt like she shouldn't even be talking to this man. Again she wondered why she had agreed to go with him. He was their enemy. He was the one who had ordered her execution, or would order her execution. That hadn't happened yet for these people. Sometimes it was all very confusing.

"Yes," she found herself replying.

"So, then we should work together," Rufus said hospitably. "It's foolish to fight one another when at the same time we're fighting Sephiroth. United we stand a much better chance against him."

Tifa was only half listening. She knew she couldn't trust Rufus. She knew for a fact he was just as ruthless, if not more so, than his old man had been. But she also knew for a fact that what he was saying was true. He really was trying to stop Sephiroth. Perhaps that and the fact that she had knowledge of future events was something she could use to her own advantage.

Now that Cloud was gone she didn't know what was going to happen. She hadn't really thought about it at all. But life went on, Sephiroth was still out there, and had to be stopped, stopped before he could call meteor and destroy the world. Even now, after all that had occured, she couldn't just stand by and let it happen.

"So what do you say?" she heard him say. She relaized he was waiting for her to answer.

"I'm coming with you, aren't I?" she replied. 

Rufus hesitated just a moment, then nodded his head, the smile widening on his face. She could picture the wheels turning in his head, just imagine him already conjuring up ways he could benefit from this. He carried his shotgun easily at his side, almost nochalantly. He obviously didn't think that she was any threat to him at all. Perhaps that was another mistake on his part.

* * *

"We're lost, aren't we?" Yuffie whined.

Barret grumbled low in his throat, but Red turned toward her with a thoughtful expression.

"I'm afraid so," he admitted. He looked around. They stood in front of one of the numerous shallow caves that pockmarked this region of the Gaea cliffs. All around them the cliff face glittered with freshly fallen snow. 

"How could we be lost?" Cid blurted out. "If that nose of yours can't figure out which way the others went, then what good is it? And besides, we came through here once before, as our past selves. Don't you remember which way we went?"

"Don't you?" Yuffie questioned immediately. "You would think a pilot would have a good sense of direction."

"If we were in a plane we'd be there in no time," Cid snapped. "My sense of direction ain't as good on the ground."

"That doesn't make any sense," Yuffie stated.

"It doesn't make any sense to you because you don't have any sense to begin with," Cid snapped. "What about you? Don't you know where we are? You'e a ninja, aren't they suposed to know where they're going?"

"Being a ninja has nothing to do with having a sense of direction," Yuffie replied testily.

"Good thing," Cait commented quickly.

Yuffie looked daggers at him.

"It was a long time ago we came up the cliffs," Red said seriously "There were many false directions and dead end paths. It would be difficult for any of us to remember. As for my nose, I'm afraid any scent left behind by the others is quickly obscured by the snow or blown away by the wind. I'm afraid we're on our own."

"And meanwhile the others get farther and farther ahead," Cid commented.

"Yes, that is true," Red agreed.

"Well, no sense standin' around here," Barret said practically. "We just better find the trail as quickly as possible. There's nothing else we can do."

"My feet hurt and I'm freezing," Yuffie said. "Can't we rest for a little while?"

Barret snorted and seemed ready to rebuke her yet again, but first he looked at the others.

"We're just going to fall farther behind," he said.

"I don't suppose stopping here for a few minutes would do any harm, or lose us much more time." Red replied. "The others have to rest too," 

"Yeah," Cait said. "Remember, they've got a Yuffie with them as well."

"What's that supposed to mean?" the young ninja demanded.

Cait did not reply. They all followed Red into the cave. It did not go very far, perhaps twenty yards before ending in a tumbled pile of crumbled rocks. Still, it was out of the wind.

Yuffie threw herself down against the wall, stretching out her feet in front of her. Cid and Red sat down more slowly. Barret and Cait remained standing, Barret not far from the entrance, as if anxious to be on his way.

Yuffie pulled her pack off her back.

"Might as well have something to eat while we're at it," she stated.

No one replied, but Cid shrugged and pulled off his pack as well. Red watched them as they ate. He wasn't hungry himself. In fact, he was inclined to agree with Barret. He was anxious to move on as quickly as possible.

"So what happens now?" Yuffie said, looking up from her meal.

"What do you mean?" Cid questioned. 

"You know what I mean," she said. "You all saw what happened. We saved Aeris. We did it. But now Cloud..."

She looked down at the ground.

"You saw what happened. What do we do now? How can we fix that?"

No one replied. After a moment Yuffie looked up, a pleading look in he eyes.

"We can fix that...can't we?"

The lack of an answer spoke volumes. Yuffie looked around but no one would meet her gaze.

"You mean we can't do anything?" she said slowly. "Cloud's gone..." 

Still no one spoke. Red looked up to see that all eyes had turned to him.

"I don't know," he said at last. "I don't see that there's anything we can do to change what happened." 

He fell silent.

"Unless we can go back into the past again," Yuffie suggested.

"And how do you propose we do that?" Barret questioned. "We don't even know how we got back here in the first place." 

"The lifestream did it, somehow," Cait stated. "Maybe we can do it again." 

"That seems like grasping at straws to me," Cid said bluntly. "We can't recreate that. It happened out of pure luck." 

"So what do you suggest we do?" Yuffie questioned.

Cid made no answer to that.

"Well, what if we prevent our past selves from going back in the first place?" Yuffie questioned.

"Huh?" Barret said.

"Look, it's very simple," Yuffie explained. "We know that after the battle with Sephiroth the lifestream wells up and sends the Highwind back in time. Well, maybe we can prevent our past selves from getting caught up in the lifestream. Then all this wouldn't happen." 

Barret just looked at her, the expression on his face making it apparent he had no idea what she was talking about.

"That might save Cloud," Cid said, "but if we prevent our past selves from going up in the Highwind, then they won't be able to go into the past and save Aeris. What would happen to her then?" 

Barret looked at the two of them and shook his head.

"Now I'm really confused," he muttered

"Am I right Red?" Cid asked, looking at the fire red beast. "Wouldn't that mean we couldn't save Aeris?" 

"I'm afraid it's even more complicated than that," Red replied. "If we prevent our past selves from going up in the Highwind then we will never have gone into the past. If we don't go into the past we won't be here to stop ourselves from getting on the Highwind in the first place."

"This is givin' me a headache," Barrett grumbled.

"I admit it is a bit hard to grasp," Red replid. "It's the old grandfather paradox."

"The what?" Yuffie questioned.

"The grandfather paradox," Red repeated. "If you go into the past and shoot your grandfather, that would mean that you were never born. But if you were never born you couldn't go into the past and shoot your grandfather. But if you didn't shoot him then you would be born, in which case you could go back and shoot him. It's an endless loop."

"I think I understand," Cid said thoughfully. "So how does that get resolved?"

Red shrugged.

"No one knows. It depends on the nature of time. Some people believe that the past is immutable, that you couldn't change it even if you tried, that if you went into the past and tried to kill your grandfather you would be prevented from doing it somehow."

"How?" Yuffie questioned.

"I haven't the slightest idea," Red replied rather curtly. "It's all just been theory up to now. But we know that theory's not true. We've changed the past. We've saved Aeris. I was kind of wondering if we going to be able to do that. But that still doesn't let us off the hook. Another theory is that if we do manage to change something, that change will be corrected at a later date. It's possible that if Sephiroth did not kill her at the City of the Ancients it could still happen at another time. If she's fated to die, there may be nothing we can do about it."

None of the others looked pleased with this possibility.

"You mean Cloud could have died for nothing?" Yuffie questioned. "And Aeris could still die again anyway?"

"That's a possibility," Red stated. "Of course, she could just as easliy die just out of bad luck. There's just no telling. That's why I'm so concerned that she ran off with Vincent. I'd much rather have her here so we could keep an eye on her."

"Well, I'm afraid there's not much we can do about that," Cid said.

"I know," Red replied. "I've also heard theories that you couldn't meet yourself in the past, that it would cause some monsterous cataclysm in time, possibly leading to the destruction of the universe."

Barret looked at him nervously.

"Thanks for telling us that now!" he blurted out.

"I didn't think it would actually happen," Red said. "But I do find it strange that we ran into our past selves now and yet it didn't happen when we were here originally."

Barret no longer appeared to be listening, but the others were trying very hard to digest what Red was telling them.

"Yeah, now that you mention it, that does seem kinda strange," Cid said. "Why didn't we run into our future selves the first time. If we saved Aeris, how come I remember her dying?"

"All good questions," Red agreed. "And it all leads us to yet another theory about time, and that is that it impossible to travel into the past."

"Another one that we've proven wrong," Yuffie said.

"Have we?" Red questioned. "Not so fast. Is this really the past?"

They all looked lost now.

"What do you mean?" Cid asked. "What else could it be?"

"Some people believe that there are other dimensions, other worlds just like ours. They believe that when you try to travel into the past you won't go into the past, but sideways into another dimension, a dimension very similar to our own, but slightly different."

"That sounds even weirder than time travel," Cid muttered.

"Perhaps," Red stated. "But it solves a lot of the problems. We didn't meet ourselves the first time because that happened on another world, in another dimension. The 'past us' that we see here aren't really us at all, but a copy of us in this other dimension. This solves the grandfather paradox. If you went back and shot your grandfather you would still exist, because the grandfather you shot wasn't the granfather you were desended from, but the one your copy was descended from in this dimension. If that's true, then what happened to us in the future never really happened here at all. We've wiped the slate clean, and anything can happen from here on in."

"So if we went back in time again, we'd slip into another world," Cid said slowly.

"Yes," Red replied. "There would have to be an infinite number of them. That's one of the drawbacks of this theory. People are not very comfortable with the idea of infinity."

"So how do we know what's true and what's not?" Yuffie wanted to know. "I'm afraid I'm going to have to agree with Barret on this one. This is all making my head hurt."

"I'm araid there's no way to tell for sure," Red replied. "Like I said, these are all theories, and for all we know, all of them could be wrong. No one has ever actually done this before."

"And lived to tell about it," Barret added grimly. In spite of his apparent unconcern, it appeared he was listening after all.

"There would be that, yes," Red agreed. 

"You know, I don't understand any of this," Cid said. "And to tell you the truth, I don't really care. Whether this is our past or another dimension, I don't see that it makes much of a difference. What I want to know is, what do we do now?"

Red was silent for a moment. Cid was right, the nature of their predicament didn't matter. What was important was what they were going to do from here. They had to have some kind of plan of action.

"Sephiroth is still out there," Red said. "He's still a danger. If he calls meteor, it won't matter what planet we're on, it's still going to be destroyed. Vincent, Aeris and all the others from the past are still pursuing him. Our immediate goal should be to prevent Sephiroth from destroying the world. If we like, we can debate the meaning of it all after that's been accomplished."

"And what about Tifa?" Barret asked. "We don't even know where she ran off to."

"I know," Red replied. "Sadly we don't have time to go hunt for her. She's perfectly capable of taking care of herself, though I am concerned about her state of mind. I think we all know how she feels about Cloud. But we're just going to have to assume that she's pulled herself together and is following Sephiroth as well."

"Sounds like a plan to me," Cid said impatiently.

"And what about Cloud?" Cait spoke up. "Do any of these time theories give us a chance to save him while still keeping Aeris alive?"

Red thought for a moment, then shook his head.

"I have no way of knowing."


	8. THE NORTHERN CRATER

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was written Nanaki Lioness.

The Gaea's Cliffs stretched around him, white everywhere as snow flittered to the ground. The newly fallen flakes were soft beneath his feet, crunching softly and leaving tracks as he ascended the mountains. The tracks were not viable for long, as the snow filled the holes almost as quickly as they had been made.

Cloud didn't know how long he had been scaling the mountains. He had lost track of time, his mind too numb to comprehend anything but the biting winds and the below zero temperature. His hands, sore and scratched, automatically reached for the next handhold above him. Occasionally his numb fingers refused to grip, and he had to focus on simply closing them round the icy stones and rocks embedded in the mountainside.

He had to get to Sephiroth. He had all the answers, and he would pay for his attempt upon Aeris's life.

He found his mind wandering back to the clone that had sacrificed himself upon the altar at the City of the Ancients, but before he could think of much-needed answers, he realised his handholds had run out.

Looking up, he saw he had finally reached the top of the cliffs. Gaining energy simply from that realisation, he hurried the last few steps to the peak.

The view was indescribable, with the snow falling gently around him and the softly glowing crater before him. Yet Cloud did not stay to admire the beauty of it. He stopped only for a few moments to catch his breath, and then continued into the crater.

Sephiroth was there, and Cloud had to get to him quickly.

* * *

The Chaos Beast was having a hard time fighting the elements, especially with the feverish girl in his arms. So when a cave came into view below them, it flew towards it gladly.

It landed inside the small cave, setting Aeris to the ground. They were protected from the bitter wind, yet it was still freezing. The milky white snow was falling thick and fast, making it nearly impossible to carry on.

Aeris seemed to be getting worse, Chaos observed to itself. She had not sat up from where it had laid her. He walked over to her, hiding any signs of tiredness if he felt any.

"Do you want to stay here until the weather lets up?" he asked her. Aeris shook her head, slowly sitting up.

"We can't," she stated. "We have to get to Sephiroth before Cloud does." She stood up, using all her energy to remain standing. "We can't afford to stop and rest."

Chaos nodded, knowing she was right. He walked up to the edge of the cave, glancing up. The wind was harsh and biting and the snowflakes cold, yet they had to go o. They simply had to.

Aeris ran a hand across her fevered brow. The Lifestream was in turmoil and there was nothing she could do except sit back and suffer the consequences. She couldn't contact her mother amidst the misty voices. She had never felt so alone, and so unsure.

Chaos gently lifted her back into the air, and back out into the treacherous weather. The wind attacked them with full force, and snow fell onto Aeris's exposed arms. The flakes were a slight relief to her, as it calmed her fever slightly, yet she knew it wouldn't be long until numbness set into her body again. She glanced up at Chaos, wondering if it could feel the coldness through its thick leathery wings, and whether they'd drop from the sky if he should lose a grip on her due to numb fingers. Yet it seemed to be flying with no problems.

The mountains below them seemed to show no signs of anyone trekking up them. Aeris hoped they weren't that far behind Cloud, and also that he had even survived the horrific journey.

Aeris didn't want to think about that. She closed her eyes, letting the wind and the Chaos Beast guide them. She'd have the answers to her questions soon enough.

* * *

Cloud was glad to be back on solid ground once again. All the climbing he had endured, as well as the condition of the weather, has only exhausted him. Yet he still trudged wearily on, placing one foot in front of the other as a means of necessity. Looking for Sephiroth was his one goal. He glanced around, searching for his foe.

And there he was, clear as day, right in front of him. Cloud blinked and shook his head, certain he had not been there a few moments ago. The man had his sword unsheathed, yet Cloud did not draw his own.

"You came," Sephiroth stated bluntly. "Fool. You will never win against me."

"I have no intentions of fighting," Cloud said, a touch of melancholy in his words. "I just want answers. Why did you try to kill Aeris? Who was that man who died?"

Before Sephiroth could answer, if he had any intentions of doing so, they heard a shout from the distance. Looking up, they saw the Chaos Beast flying towards them, carrying what appeared to be Aeris in his claws.

The two landed a few feet away, Chaos transforming as soon as he had set Aeris down. The girl began running towards him, using what appeared to be all her energy to remain standing. Vincent ran after her as soon as he was able.

"Cloud!" Aeris yelled. "Cloud, listen to me!"

Cloud turned and studied Aeris as she stopped in front of him, and reached forward to put a hand on her shoulder.

"You're sick," he stated. Aeris's condition was worsening still, and anyone around her could see it. "You shouldn't be here!"

"Listen to us Cloud," Vincent said as he met the two. "Give us the Black Materia."

Cloud looked at them both, surprised. He had almost forgotten about the black orb he had been carrying. Did they not trust him with it? Did they think his sanity was so fragile that he would let it get into the wrong hands?

"It's safe with me," he reassured them. "Don't worry about it."

"Cloud," Aeris said, almost frantically. "You must give it to us."

"No. Come here."

They turned to see Sephiroth, beckoning to Cloud with an evil gleam in his eye. He had sheathed his sword, and if any of them had thought about it, he would have been easy to defeat at that point.

But they didn't think about it. Vincent and Aeris were looking at Cloud, who was slowly walking towards Sephiroth.

"Wake up," Sephiroth called softly as Cloud neared him.

The blond haired man cried out in pain, and sunk to his knees, hands clutching at his hair and his temples so hard his knuckles were white.

"Give it to me."

Aeris ran forward to assist Cloud at Sephiroth's words, but Vincent held her back. They had saved her once; he didn't want their efforts and the future Cloud's death to be in vain should Sephiroth try again.

Cloud slowly got to his feet again, and continued walking towards Sephiroth. It looked at though he was being manipulated, and that he was fighting it. His steps were slow and unsure, and he would stop after two or three and clutch at his head again. Tears shone out in his mako blue eyes, though whether it was from pain or the knowledge that he was about to give Sephiroth the Black Materia, Vincent and Aeris didn't know.

Cloud eventually reached Sephiroth, holding his hand out, the black orb glistening invitingly.

"NO!"

Aeris struggled free of Vincent's grasp then, running to Cloud's side. She needed to stop him. Sephiroth couldn't get the Black Materia, he just couldn't!

Sephiroth took it before Aeris could reach them, a wicked smile etched in his features.

Aeris fell to the ground as she saw that, her disappointment and fever weakening her to the point that she couldn't remain standing.

Sephiroth had won. He had the Black Materia.

Aeris put her head into her hands, despair reigning over her. Nothing more could be done. Meteor would be summoned, and the Planet obliterated.

All she could do now was to sit back and watch the Planet her race had saved, be destroyed.


	9. DEJA VU

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was written by Lit3_Bolt

The instant Sephiroth took the Black Materia, the world went straight to hell.

That was the only Aeris could describe the scene before her. The planet's cries, which had been mere whimpers before, turned into screams. The ground trembled with the fury of it, while the mako-enriched winds suddenly battered the small group with hurricane force.

In her fever, Aeris couldn't tell what was going on; the images went too fast for comprehension. She felt herself being dragged towards a cliff face nearby, but was too weak to try to stop her momentum. Suddenly a heavy weight fell over her, covering her from the gale and holding her tight. Cloud. But where was?

The crack of a gunshot made her turn her head. Vincent was fighting Sephiroth. How he managed to stand upright and still aim, Aeris didn't know. He was shouting something, but the wind and the shots drowned out the sound.

Sephiroth ignored the bullets that raked his flesh, as well as the shaking ground and piercing wind. He stood perfectly still, clutching the Black Materia tightly, cradling it to his chest, smiling in ecstasy. With a casual air, he tossed the Masamune over the cliff face into the pit below. Eyes closed in relish, Sephiroth raised his arms

and _changed_.

Black cloth and skin and hair ripped apart, falling to the ground as the thing Aeris thought of as Sephiroth grew instead into a mockery of life. Limbs protruded in odd places around the monster's red skin as it shrieked in pleasure, growing to a height of twenty feet. Only the face remained the same, a smiling growth in the middle of its torso. Then her eyes blurred and her head sank to the ground.

Vincent stopped firing, putting his gun back in his holster. _Jenova,_ he remembered. _Sephiroth was just part of Jenova. Which means the real Sephiroth doesn't have the black materia yet. There is still a chance._ Vincent bowed his head, concentrating.

Cloud regarded the oozing life form with an almost clinical air. "Jenova," he said, dragging Aeris away from it. Placing her behind a nearby rock, he stood, bracing himself against the wind. Moving to stand in front the Jenova creature, he shouted, "You were never really Sephiroth, were you?"

It blinked, regarding the small man in front of it. Cloud had not yet drawn his sword; in fact, he made no effort to threaten the monster.

Cloud shouted again, "You just changed into Sephiroth to trick me!"

The creature paused for a moment, then rolled its shoulders in a boneless shrug. Disinterested, it started to turn away

and Chaos slammed into its side.

"Vincent!" Cloud shouted. His hand moved in a blur, removing the massive sword from his back in an instant. "Kill it! It's not Sephiroth! It never was!" He jumped in to attack with the demon.

Aeris blinked, looking around. Had she passed out? She coughed, choking on the cold air. The spasm shook her like a leaf, and she nearly swooned. She was trying to get her eyes to focus when she heard a scream behind her.

Clutching at the rock so she wouldn't blow away, she peered over it to watch the unfolding battle.

* * *

"What's _she_ doing here?" Heidigger yelled.

Tifa winced, though not from the man's piggish voice. It was obvious that the Shinra Chair of Intelligence had not bathed in quite some time. She quickly climbed the ramp into the Highwind, staying behind Rufus to block the worst of the stench.

"Tifa Lockhart will be our honored guest, Chairman," Rufus told the man quietly. "You have no problem with that, I assume?"

Heidigger opened mouth again to protest, but seeing the gleam in Rufus" eye and the shotgun in his hand, decided not to press his luck.

"No sir," the bearded fat man gritted out. "But I cannot let you go with such a dangerous criminal without protection, Mr. President. Allow the Turks to escort both you and your" _guest_ ," he spat.

On cue, Reno and Rude flanked Tifa, who glanced at them but said nothing.

Rufus turned his head to the Turks, then shrugged. "Prepare for takeoff," he ordered Heidigger, then faced Tifa. Brushing his blonde hair aside, he said, “Tifa, if you will please follow me."

Following him, Tifa ignored Reno and Rude at her side, looking at the ground. Cloud was dead. Or he was going to die, depending on how one looked at it. Either way he was doomed. _Cloud, I never told you"I'm sorry"_ she thought, eyes blurring with unshed tears.

She felt the guilt inside of her, crushing her from inside. What had she gotten herself into? Surrounded by Shinra, running away from her friends, and from Sephiroth, the man who had killed her love. Why was she doing this?

 _Because you're doing it for yourself,_ she realized. _For the first time in your life, you're being selfish. And if you don't pull yourself out of this fit, then you'll never see your friends again, and you'll never have your revenge on Sephiroth._

Revenge. That was it. This time around, she wasn't going to kill Sephiroth to save the world.

She was going to kill him for herself. For taking away her purpose in life.

* * *

Jenova was losing.

Aeris felt a surge of elation. Maybe it wasn't all over yet. Cloud and Vincent, aware that this was their last chance to stop Meteor, attacked with abandon, ignored all injuries Jenova inflicted on them in return. Despite the monster's best efforts, they were pushing it back, edging it towards the cliff.

A tentacle suddenly coiled around Cloud and picked him up bodily then slammed him to rocky ground. Aeris gasped, seeing that he could hardly get up. Ignoring her body's protests, she channeled the energy of the planet into both Cloud and Vincent, healing their wounds. Such an expenditure of energy drove her to her knees. She crumpled to the ground into another coughing fit, and then darkness claimed her.

Cloud jumped up, and turned his head to thank Aeris. Seeing her on the ground, his fury rose and he redoubled his efforts against the thing that had been Sephiroth.

Chaos roared, standing toe to toe with the alien. Vincent struggled to hold on to his rage as he clawed, bit, and slashed the pulsing mass. But he was no closer to wrenching the Black Materia away from the monster's clutches, which it protected against its body.

Cloud leaped into the monster, sword leading the way. It sank into the fleshy torso with a loud crunch, up to the hilt. Tightening his grip on his weapon, Cloud jumped up as high as he could, tearing a long gash in the monster's side. Blood oozed from the ten foot long wound.

Jenova began to keen, a terrible wail that forced its opponents the cover their hears against it. Chaos folded its wings around its body to protect its sensitive ears against the sound. Cloud fell to the ground, feeling like his head was about to split. Screaming mindlessly, Jenova turned

and fell.

The sound of the scream drained away as they monster fell from the cliff, and soon they heard nothing but the wind. Cloud rose unsteadily to his feet. The ground had seemed to stop shaking, and the wind died down to what it was before. He glanced over to see Vincent had changed back from whatever he had turned into. Seeing the man stir, he turned and hurried over to Aeris" side.

As he turned the unconscious girl over on her back, he realized that her skin was hot. So hot, in fact, that he even felt it through the numbness in his fingers. _She's sweating,_ he realized. _She has a fever, though I have no idea why. Maybe Jenova? What could have done this?_

"How is she?" he heard Vincent inquire behind him.

"Bad," Cloud answered, shaking his head. 'real bad." He stood to face the dark man in red. "What happened to her?"

"I do not know," Vincent answered, looking down the cliff where Jenova fell. He turned to face Cloud. 'she has gotten worse as we journeyed here."

Cloud narrowed his eyes. "And how did you get here, Vincent? Nobody followed me up the cliff."

Vincent paused, unsure of how to proceed. Answers which lead to more questions, which would lead to questions he couldn't answer. _Cloud must not know his own destiny_ , he reminded himself. But he had already seen the Chaos form; Cloud was cunning enough to figure it out on his own. No harm in telling him that.

"I flew, carrying her," he answered, moving to kneel beside Aeris and resting a hand on her forehead.

"You flew? In that demon-thing form you just were?" Cloud demanded.

"Yes." The shorter the answers, the easier it should be.

"Is it a new form or something? I thought you changed into something else," Cloud eyed Vincent suspiciously.

"A new form. And she insisted on coming along," he said, anticipating the next question. He removed his cloak and wrapped Aeris in it. He felt naked without it, but better that he feel uncomfortable than for Aeris to die from the bitter cold. "Do you know what just happened to Sephiroth?" he asked, changing the topic. He already knew the answer.

The Mako eyes blinked, then regarded the cliff. 'sephiroth was never here. We never followed him at all. We've been manipulated from the start." Cloud retrieved his sword and sheathed it. Clenching his jaw, he added, "Especially me."

Vincent gathered Aeris in his arms, careful not to scratch her with his metal claw. He looked at Cloud. "I didn't hear Jenova strike bottom."

Cloud nodded. Looking off in the distance, he said, 'that's where he really is. I feel it. I know it. We have to go there and finish this."

Vincent followed Cloud's gaze. The Center of the Northern Crater. He shook his head. He hated the feeling of déjà vu.

* * *

"Why Tifa, it's almost like you've been here before," Rufus said mildly, behind her.

Tifa blinked, broken out of her reverie. Twirling around, she saw that she had outpaced Rufus on his way to the bridge. She hadn't even noticed; she had done it out of habit. She saw him boring his eyes into her, analyzing her and her intentions. Her mind a whirlwind of confusion, she stammered out, "Well, it's not like it's hard to figure out which way to go."

Behind Rufus, both Reno and Rude arched on eyebrow.

Rufus smirked, 'then perhaps you can figure out your way towards the captain's quarters?"

Looking at him, Tifa felt sick. She was sick and tired of these games, these political nuances, the veiled threats and insincere courtesies. Cloud was dead, and she was playing mind games with Rufus. A lump rising in her throat, she ignored him and strode straight toward the command chamber, leaving Rufus and the Turks to catch up with her.

Standing by the door, she waited for them to catch up. She refused to look at Rufus" smug look of triumph on his face as they approached. Turning to the Turks, he said, "Wait outside the door. I wish to discuss matters with our guest in private."

Nodding, the two enforcers flanked the door as it slid open. Rufus walked inside, and Tifa was about to follow, when she heard Reno murmur, 'so where's your useless boyfriend now?"

Something inside of Tifa snapped with that snide remark. She lashed out blindly, not thinking, not feeling. Reno's jaw snapped as her fist connected, but that wasn't enough. She felt bones and flesh break and distend under her gloves, but that wasn't enough. She hit him again and again, not stopping until Rude plunged a needle into her neck.

The last thing Tifa heard before losing consciousness was the sound of Rufus Shinra laughing.

* * *

"I wish you weren't doing this."

Vincent regarded Cloud impassively, holding Aeris close. The feverish girl stirred slightly in his arms. 'there is no where else to take her. And I think you will need help against Sephiroth."

Shaking his head stubbornly, Cloud turned and vaulted the next jump. The way had gotten more treacherous as they had progressed towards their destination. Sheer drops surrounded them on all sides, while the slippery rocks and cold wind made jumping from cliff to cliff dangerous. Bizarre creatures watched from the shadows, driven into hiding by something.

Tightening his grip on Aeris, Vincent leapt after Cloud, landing lightly on his feet next to him. "You're putting Aeris in danger," Cloud admonished again.

"From Sephiroth or you?" Vincent snapped back. He had forgotten how Cloud used to be before he had told the rest of the group the truth of himself. Afterwards, Cloud had become more insightful, dutiful, and trustworthy. But now"

Vincent stared at a shocked Cloud for another beat for continuing on, hearing the other man hurry after him. He couldn't think about that now. All that mattered was they reach the Northern Crater before Jenova did.

As Aeris shivered beneath his coat, he amended that thought. And protect Aeris

* * *

"Fascinating. So this is Tifa Lockhart."

Rufus turned his head slightly, away from the map. "I wouldn't touch her if I were you, Hojo."

Hojo chuckled, raising his head away from the girl on the couch. "Merely observing, Mr. President. A most fascinating specimen."

The white suit shivered slightly at Hojo's dismissive remark. After Tifa's rather energetic outburst, he had brought her into the Command chamber to rest. The damnable thing was Hojo had been in there when he wanted to be alone. He couldn't trust him, not like his father had foolishly done. Hojo's own creature had killed him. Rufus valued Hojo, as one would value a resource, but he must remember the man had no compunctions whatsoever. He was utterly amoral. Rufis strained to master himself as he continued. 'she said she was looking for her friends, but reportedly they are headed towards the wastes."

Hojo raised a glass of wine to his lips as he considered. 'they must be going towards the Northern Crater to stop my son. Foolish, of course, but since when has Avalanche shown signs of intelligence?" he asked.

"Never," answered Rufus, looking at the map on the far wall. His hand traced the location of the Northern Crater. "Neo Midgar..." he murmured.

The scientist set his wineglass down before hobbling over to stand next to the young President. Folding his hands behind his back, he said 'remember that this site contains more than Mako, Mr. President. It is also the site of WEAPON creation by the planet."

"I know that." Rufus turned to look over at Tifa. "We can beat anything the planet throws at us. In the meantime, Sephiroth poses an immediate threat. I intend to talk this girl into getting her friends to fight for us. That way, they'll be cannon fodder for Sephiroth while we send in our forces." His eyes trailed down the girl's beautiful face. Such a waste"

"And what about Meteor?" Hojo asked, keenly interested in how Rufus would deal with it. "Have you forgotten about _it_? Jenova and my son are undoubtedly putting it into action as we speak." His glasses flashed.

'taken care of," said Rufus as he waved a hand dismissively. "I'm not interested in some Ancient fairy tale. If it indeed comes to pass, we can use Shinra No. 26 to blow it out of the sky."

Hojo grunted before moving away to sit down. "Never underestimate my son, Mr. President," he said as he leaned back in the chair.

 _Always so proud of your creations, aren't you?_ Rufus thought viciously. He looked at the map again, but the lines were starting to blur. He had slept only rarely since his father had died, putting him in charge of the company. _Administrating the world is a bitch._ Rufus rubbed his temples. He was getting tired, but he needed to stay on top of things. There were too many things to worry about, like how Tifa knew the interior of the Highwind. Maybe those rebels had some blueprints or something to it, but it looked like she wasn't aware of her surroundings"

"or maybe she was more dangerous than he thought.

He felt himself tingle with anticipation of the coming challenge. Both mental and physical. Such a challenge none other could give him.

He raised his own glass in salute to her before returning to business.

_To the victor go the spoils, Cloud Strife._

* * *

Tifa struggled to remain perfectly still, to keep her breathing slow and steady. She had come out of the drug-induced sleep soon after being injected, using a technique Zangan had taught her. She had stayed in a trance, keeping limp and unresponsive in order to get some information. What Hojo had said horrified her, shocking her out of her grief. She had heard the note of pride in Hojo's voice as he spoke of Sephiroth, and knew how he intended to betray the company in order to aid his son. _He's insane! I have to stop him from doing that!_ she thought frantically.

Last time, she, Cloud, and Vincent had barely arrived in time to stop him from energizing Sephiroth and destroying Midgar with the Sister Ray. But now that they were back in time, they had already altered everything. She didn't know if the group Rufus had talked of was her friends or their past selves. She didn't know if they would be able to get to Midgar to stop Hojo this time.

 _It's up to me. If I don't do it, no one will,_ she said in her mind. She owed to Cloud. She owed it her friends.

Only this time, she was all by herself.

* * *

They were following. The cancer was following, along with the other one, the flawed one, who could change but not know Jenova. Not know the joy of being with the One.

And they were bringing _it_. The Lifegiver, the one with The Planet. The Ancient.

Jenova extended another pseudopod to drag itself forward. It had to hurry. Normally it would have flown to its destination, as that was what had allow it to survived the fall, but now it had no energy left. Blood was draining rapidly from the hole in its body. It would die, but the One would have what it desired. Calamity from the Skies. This world would die, and Jenova would move on to the next life. So it goes. So it has always been.

Slowly, the malignant life form crawled towards the canyon that was its goal. The One is here. In the tree. The world will die. Meteor. One. Die. Death. Destroy.

The One is smiling now. He knows that it is here. Soon the creatures will pay.

Trembling, a tentacle extends with the Black Materia in its coil. The One reaches for it"

Die. Destroy. Death. Death. Death. Death"

* * *

They saw it happen from a distance.

Vincent knew they were too late. Sephiroth had it. Meteor would come.

'sephiroth!" Cloud roared, bringing his sword from his back. He rushed forward.

Vincent ignored him. Cloud could go get himself killed. He could afford to; he was already dead. Vincent had no such luxury. He had to protect Aeris. He laid her to the ground, trying to make her comfortable. _To come all this way to fail again_ , he thought bitterly. Perhaps"

"Aeris," he whispered gently, drying the sweat from her face before it froze. Ahead, he heard Cloud shout; what, he didn't care. Maybe she would know what to do, how to stop this from happening, but she was so ill"

"and then Aeris started to scream.

* * *

'sir!" Rude spoke over the intercom.

Pressing the button, Rufus snapped, "What is it? I'm busy!"

"A massive anomaly is occurring in the Northern Crater. The ship's instruments are going berserk!"

Hojo smiled. "It begins."

* * *

"Whew!" panted Barret. "We made it! Again!"

"I hope I was not too much of a burden, Barret," Red spoke as he leapt from the big man's back.

"Can you see anything down there?" Yuffie asked, trying to scan the crater.

Cid was in no condition to respond; climbing didn't agree with him The small band had finally made it to the top of Gaea's cliff, after climbing up the sheer mountainside. Having already known the way to go, they had managed to elude their past selves while beating them at the same time.

"No," answered Cait. "My scanners indicate a massive amount of energy in the center, however."

'they already must be at the center, then," said Red. "And by the number of bodies I see from here, Sephiroth must be there with them."

"Whose bodies?" Yuffie demanded to know. Then her eyes widened. "Oh yeah! Those spooky guys with numbers on them!"

'so we're too late," muttered Barret in defeat. "Damn."

Then the ground started to shake. Everyone except Red was thrown to the ground as an earsplitting roar sounded from the crater.

"&#*%! It's WEAPON!" shouted Cid.

"Aw no, don't tell me we have to fight _them_ again," groaned Yuffie to herself.

From different locations in the crater they saw the immense creatures climb from the planet that had birthed them. Then, as one, they screamed their fury, rocketing up in the sky in a multicolored rainbow before scattering to the different points across the world. As the passed overhead, the ground slowly turned solid again.

The group slowly rose from the ground, dusting themselves off as they pondered this new development. Cid was the first to speak.

"Well, what are we gonna do now? That means Sephiroth has the Black Materia now, right?"

"It did last time. We're lucky we're weren't down there; the last time, we had to escape with Shinra," said Barret. He grimaced at the memory.

"I wonder if they're alright," Cait said, shoulders dropping. 'they're alone with Sephiroth down there now."

"Well, we better get out of here," chirped Yuffie. She moved to climb back down.

Barret seized her by the arm. "What the hell are you doing? You're not abandonin" the rest of us!" he shouted.

"I'd rather be outside the energy shield when Sephiroth puts it up, thank you!" Yuffie shouted back.

Barret blinked. Scratching his head with his gun arm, he said, "Oh yeah, that damn thing""

"Well what are we gonna do!" Cid demanded. "Are we out or are we in?"

"I think are problems are more severe than that," Red spoke up.

The others looked at him. The lion-like animal was staring off into the distance where the WEAPONs had departed.

"What's up?" asked Cait.

"Didn't any of you notice?" Read glanced at them. 'there were six WEAPONs."

'so?" shrilled Yuffie, waving her arms in the air. "What does that have to do with anything?"

Everyone else ignored the slight ninja. "But we only defeated three"" Barret slowly responded.

""and Shinra killed two others with the super gun," Cait finished for him.

"But what does that mean?" Cid asked Red.

The animal sighed. "I don't know."

"Whatever!" shouted Yuffie. 'so we miscounted the WEAPONs the first time. Maybe one was afraid of us or something! It's not that big of a deal!"

"I don't think so," Barret said grimly. "A big thing like that would be hard to miss."

"Not to mention that we would have heard of it attacking somewhere," Red pointed out. "I think this is a new development, one that our presence here has changed."

"Or it could just be part of this another dimension theory?" Cid offered. "Just something the planet did differently because we're in a new dimension?"

"Not this again," groaned Yuffie.

"It's possible," Red answered grudgingly. "We have no way to know for sure."

"But we can't get stuck here," said Cait. "If Sephiroth is going to throw up that energy shield of his, how will we get out to stop the WEAPONs?"

"And Shinra, too," said Barret. “They're still causin’ no good."

"Wait! So we are just gonna leave without Aeris, Cloud and Vincent? They might already be fighting down there!" Cid retorted.

Red closed his eyes. At least they weren't demanding answers from him anymore. Because he didn't have them. This was a situation beyond his experience.

All he knew for certain was they had to decide what to do, and quickly.


	10. DESCENT INTO DARKNESS

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was written by Fallon D.

"Sephiroth!" Cloud shouted again, and the fury in his voice was unmistakable. His sensory perception shut down; he did not hear Aeris' gasping sobs, or Vincent's desperate attempts to calm her. His entire being was focused on his former friend, his mentor-

_-the man who destroyed me-_

-As he charged forward, determined to regain the black materia he had so blindly given to Jenova. The heavy, solid weight of the sword in his hands was reassuring, and he tightened his grip on the weapon as he neared the man in black.

Sephiroth laughed, cradling the glowing sphere against his robes. When he looked up, his jade-colored gaze, so like Aeris' and yet not, was steady, shining with wicked intentions and the promise of unknown evil. "You're too late," he said, softly, slowly. His words echoed through the caverns with an undeniable purpose, and he raised his arms and tilted his head back, the black materia glittering in his right palm as he reveled in his victory.

"Cloud, no!" Aeris screamed.

And as Cloud slashed at Sephiroth, aiming for his midsection, the Evil One glided up, flying, floating away as the deadly blade sliced through nothing but thin air and clanged off of a crude stone pillar, sending sparks. Cloud was thrown off-balance, and stumbled to his knees before looking up at Sephiroth. 

"I'll kill you," he snarled, his voice low and venomous.

The horrible laugh rang out once more as Sephiroth mocked Cloud's anger. "You are too late, Flawed One," he hissed. "You are too late..." And he laughed again.

"Cloud..." Aeris whimpered. "The Planet..."

Cloud struggled to his feet, dragging his sword up beside him, and moved to face Sephiroth. But in the blink of an eye, his opponent was gone, leaving Cloud with hollow laughter ringing in his ears, and Aeris sobbing pitifully in Vincent's arms.

Straightening, Cloud stared down at Vincent and Aeris, and his features were strangely emotionless. 

"Come on," he said, holding out his hand to Aeris. "We've got to reach the center before he sends us all to hell."

* * *

Rufus' hand traced a delicate pattern on Tifa's bare upper arm, and she fought to keep from recoiling in disgust. He was testing her, trying to find her weaknesses, but she wouldn't allow him to see the revulsion she was feeling. Not that it made a difference any longer. If anything mattered, it was that she get to Sephiroth...but the chances of her even escaping were slim; making it to the North Crater was asking for too much.

"Such a shame," Rufus murmured, touching her shoulder lightly. "You would have made..." Instead of finishing the sentence, he trailed off and dropped his hand to his side. "You could be a great asset to Shinra's forces. You and your friends."

Tifa folded her arms across her chest and refused to look at him. They had landed in Midgar only moments ago, and although Hojo had wasted no time in departing from the Highwind, Rufus had insisted on the Turks coming to escort him and Tifa into the city.

Rufus leaned forward slightly, the ice in his cool blue eyes shifting a bit. He was probably going to change his strategy, but it wouldn't help. Tifa found nothing admirable or attractive about this snake of a man. She edged over a bit on the seat, wishing she'd continued with her feigned unconsciousness. But no, if she'd remained 'asleep' any longer, Rufus' suspicions would have been aroused, and she needed him to be as unaware as possible.

Unaware? The word echoed in her mind, and suddenly it struck Tifa that she  _did_  have a chance. Rufus was a weak and gullible fool, much like his father. If she could get him to trust her...or if not that, then at least believe she posed no threat...then the odds were even.

She turned a bright, sunny smile on the young President, like flipping on a light switch. But instead of smiling back, as she'd anticipated, Rufus frowned and drew back slightly, his expression guarded. Tifa realized that she'd have to do this slowly, and racked her brain for a way to amend the situation. "My friends would rather die than associate themselves with a piece of scum like you," she said, her sweet tone belied by the harsh words. To her relief, Rufus laughed, obviously acknowledging her sarcasm and enjoying the challenge.

Tifa met his gaze, making no secret of just how intense her hatred was. "If... _if_  my friends and I were to help you," she said slowly, "what would we be receiving in return?"

"Why, the honor of assisting your president to a well-deserved victory," Rufus answered, and cleared his throat when he saw the expression on Tifa's face. "All right. I'll drop all charged. Issue a full pardon, if you will. I'll leave you...you and your friends to go on with your lives." Looking pointedly out the porthole in the direction of the Northern Crater, he added slyly, "I doubt you'll receive such a generous offer from Sephiroth."

"I doubt you're telling the truth," Tifa countered, holding her breath as she waited for his reply. She had to bide her time, make it believable.

His eyes narrowed, and he opened his mouth to respond, but was interrupted by the arrival of the Turks. Rude and Elena entered and stood quietly, awaiting orders. Tifa didn't bother to acknowledge Elena's eyes boring into her, as if she could somehow channel her hatred into physical pain.

"Follow me," Rufus said abruptly, standing. He strode towards the door, his white coat billowing around him- and stopped just before exiting the room. "Watch her closely."

Rude and Elena flanked Tifa and escorted her from the Command chamber.

* * *

"But what about Vincent, Aeris and Cloud? We can't just leave them!" Yuffie exclaimed.

"A minute ago you were whinin' about getting out of the crater," Barret answered, exasperated. He slipped on a loose rock and steadied himself with a forearm before glaring up at Yuffie, who was standing atop a huge boulder. "Now you wanna go back in? Make up yer damn mind."

She hopped down beside him. "Yes! They're all alone in there. We should be with them, they can't take on Sephiroth by themselves!"

"Too late now," Cid interrupted, chewing on his ever-present cigar as he brushed off his pants. He motioned to the top of the crater, where they'd been standing only minutes before.

"It's starting," Cait said frantically, waving his small arms in a way that somehow managed to convey the grimness of the situation. "Look!" He pointed at the growing blue translucent sphere that was developing at the peak of the mountain.

"Get back here," Barret said soberly, grabbing Yuffie's shirt and yanking unceremoniously. She glared at him, but obediently moved back out of the reach of the expanding bubble.

The small group watched bleakly as the translucent force field grew to its full size, spanning the entire crater, then wavered slightly, snapping, waning for just a moment before it settled, its blue sheen shifting as it sparked with live energy. Whatever doubts any of them had expressed were irrelevant now- the decision was made. They were barred from entrance into the black hell that was Sephiroth's lair...and Cloud, Vincent, and Aeris were inside.

* * *

Aeris stumbled a bit as she hopped to the next stepping stone, wishing that the horrid buzzing sound in her head would just go away. They had been slowly making their way to the core of the North Crater, passing through corridors and chambers that contained unbelievably beautiful- and deadly- life forms that seemed hell-bent on preventing the trio from continuing deeper into the Crater. Aeris hated to admit it, but she wasn't much help right now as far as battles went. She could barely stand, much less fight, and while she wanted to help, she was hesitant to fight for fear of overexerting herself.

And if we're really going to fight Sephiroth, like Cloud says, then I need all my wits about me, she thought tiredly.

They were in a cavern that was absolutely breathtaking; several dozen large, sturdy stones formed a path through a chamber filled with gleaming Mako. A gorgeous multi-colored Mako waterfall splashed noiselessly behind them, its shimmering liquid seemingly emerging from thin air before disappearing into the depths of the pool below. Aeris had never seen anything so beautiful in her life. She stepped carefully onto the next rock. Two more stepping stones and then they were out of the cavern.

Cloud stopped suddenly, and Aeris halted just as abruptly, nearly losing her balance. Vincent grabbed her arm and supported her as she struggled to stay upright. "What's going on?" she asked, noticing the cautious expression on Cloud's face.

"Jenova," he whispered, and in one smooth movement, drew his sword and spun to his left. "Jenova is here."

"Where?" Vincent demanded, his dark eyes searching the chamber.

"Not here," Cloud said. "Not in here, I mean. But somewhere close." He took a hesitant step onto the next rock, then turned back to face them. "Through here," he said, motioning to the jagged exit, beyond which they could see only darkness.

"Are you sure?" Vincent asked doubtfully. "Maybe we should turn back."

"No!" Cloud exclaimed. "The Planet is relying on us, Vincent. We can't give up now." He turned and took the last step to the 'doorway', then looked back at them. "Are you coming with me?"

"Yes," Aeris blurted out, and stumbled towards him. She'd already lost Cloud once; she wasn't going to lose him again. They stepped into the darkness together, and Vincent followed, wetting his lips as they stared up at the abomination that was awaiting them.

Jenova.

She stood before them, in all her mutated glory, glowering down at the trio with an air of undeniable evil. Her very aura was permeated with utter wickedness, and yet Cloud, Vincent and Aeris stood their ground as she hissed, screamed, and railed at them. This was it; the final confrontation with Sephiroth's 'mother'.

Cloud shifted his weight to the balls of his feet, rage and adrenaline tingling in his limbs. He was ready. And as he rushed forward, summoning the power of the Planet into his attack, he only hoped that the others were, too.

* * *

Rufus swirled the contents in his brandy snifter, regarding the contents with mild curiosity, as Tifa stared up at him, chewing nervously on her lower lip. Her extreme discomfort had been heightened by the realization that the Sister Ray was already in Midgar. That wasn't the way it had happened last time, and she wasn't sure exactly what to think of the change. Was it possible that you could alter the future with the mere  _thought_  that you knew what was going to happen? Fate, it seemed, had a cruel sense of humor.

The young President, on the other hand, responded to Tifa's cool attitude with warmth and welcome. He was enjoying the challenge of breaking her, and while she had made little progress with his trust, she knew that his respect for her was growing by the moment.

An alarm went off suddenly, followed by another, and another, disrupting the quiet serenity of their chamber. Rufus straightened, his expression going cold, as Rude entered. "The Sister Ray...Hojo's overloading it," the Turk said with deathly calm.

Rufus groaned and rubbed a hand across his eyes. "I should have known not to trust that incompetent," he muttered. "Rude, take Elena and go stop him before he kills us all."

Tifa stood quickly. "Let me go with them!" she said, speaking so fast that her words jumbled together.

Both Rufus and Rude turned to her. "Tifa?" Rufus said, his tone questioning. "You want to accompany them?"

"Yes," she said. "You know as well as I do that I have some skill at fighting. With Reno out of commision, Rude and Elena will need help."

The corners of Rufus' mouth quirked in a reluctant smile. "You were the one who inflicted Reno's wounds...or have you forgotten?"

"Of course I haven't," she said, and there was no mistaking the pleading note in her voice. "Let me go with them. Please."

He paused, staring into her eyes as if he could somehow dig up an ulterior motive for her eagerness. Tifa tensed, but tried not to show her fear, meeting his gaze evenly and biting her tongue to keep from sacrificing her pride any worse than she already had.

"Very well," Rufus said finally. "Rude, take the girl with you. She could be...useful."

Rude knew better than to argue with the president. He nodded and motioned for Tifa to walk ahead of him.

* * *

Almost immediately, their tempers stretched to the snapping point.

"Let's move," Barret said suddenly, his blue-collar accent more obvious than usual as he struggled noticeably to control his emotions. "We ain't got all day."

"Easy for you to say," Yuffie retorted, and kicked at the solid ground with her already-scuffed shoes. "I still say we miscounted, I don't know why everyone's making such a big deal about this. We should have stayed in there."

Cid sat down on a rock and pulled off his left boot. "Damn rocks'll keep me limping if I don't get them out soon," he grumbled.

"I'm not going anywhere," Yuffie announced.

Barret ignored her and peered down the remaining slope of the mountain. "Looks steeper goin' down than it did comin' up." He glanced at Red. "You gonna be needin' a ride again?"

The lion-creature shook his head. "I'll be able to make it on my own. We're past the worst of it."

"Ya sure?"

"Hey, look!" Yuffie exclaimed before Red could answer. "It's us!"

Cid sighed with relief as he put his boot back on. "Much better."

"That's some pile," Cait commented, looking at the small mound of jagged pebbles that had been emptied from Cid's boots. "How'd you walk with that in your shoe?"

Cid smiled wryly. "Very carefully, Cait," he replied, lacing up the boot again. "Very carefully."

"There we are!" Yuffie tried again.

"Ya s'pose the sixth WEAPON's around here?" Barret asked, craning his neck to look.

"I wouldn't know. Even if it's not, we'll have to face it sooner or later," Red answered. "Our former selves may manage three, but the fourth could be asking too much."

"We defeated Sephiroth, how hard could a WEAPON be?" Cid muttered, waving a hand in dismissal. He straightened up from his boot and stood, wiping his grimy hands on his pants.

"Hey, it's us down there!" Barret said suddenly.

Red looked up. "Excuse me?"

"That's what I've been trying to tell you!" Yuffie wailed. "We- I mean, we as in our selves from the past- are coming! Look!" She pointed to the base of the mountain.

Cait sighed audibly as he moved up beside Cid to look. "We had to meet them sooner or later," he offered in consolation.

Cid shook his head. "Yeah, but I would have preferred later."

The Barret from the past eyed Red and Cid warily as he lumbered up. "Who the hell are you?" he demanded, looking at his comrades and then switching his gaze back to the group from the future. His eyes narrowed. "Is this some sort of joke?"

Red cleared his throat and sat down on his haunches, meeting Barret's gaze evenly. "No, sadly it's not a joke. Or a dream, for that matter. If you'll allow me, I can explain everything."

"Well, it better be one hell of an explanation!" the Cid from the past burst out, and his companions all murmured their agreement.

"It is," Red answered, his voice firm. "You see, we're...we're...you. The you from the future. Yes, I know it's difficult to believe. But after we defeated Sephiroth, we were caught up in the Lifestream, and it tossed us back in time."

No one said anything for a moment. Red's answer was so clear-cut, so precise, and so utterly, utterly unbelievable that none of them even knew where to begin.

A roar startled them out of their stunned silence, and they all spun to see a WEAPON, careening towards them over the water like some horrible vision of death incarnate.

"No time to explain now!" Barret-from-the-future shouted, and looked over at their past selves, seemingly assessing the small group. "We've gotta fight this thing. Are you with us?"

For an eternal moment the two Barrets stared at each other, their dark gazes unwavering, unflinching. The rest of them held their breaths, knowing that whatever decision was made would affect their lives in its complete entirety.

"We're with you," Barret-from-the-past answered finally, and turned to face the oncoming WEAPON.

* * *

Aeris channeled her energy into Vincent one last time, knowing that there was no way she could keep this up. Despite Vincent and Cloud's unbelievable efforts and fighting skill, Jenova was winning, inflicting wound after wound on the two warriors as they struggled to keep battling. Vincent had morphed into Chaos and was wreaking more havoc than she would have ever thought possible, but somehow Jenova was withstanding his attacks, as blow after blow glanced off of her without effect. The monster was seemingly invincible, and Aeris knew that she didn't have enough strength to hold out until the end of the battle. Not unless something happened...now.

She bowed her head, wondering if it was possible. Offensive attack had never been her strong point; she was more accustomed to and comfortable with defensive strategy, as well as the healing skills. But desperate times called for desperate measures...and as Aeris slowly moved out from behind Cloud and Vincent-Chaos and faced Jenova, she knew what she had to do. If it killed her, she would finish this.

Aeris summoned her strength, calling silently to the Planet as she focused her entire being on destroying this thing that was Jenova. She experienced the strange, other-wordly feeling that was always so familiar, and yet not, and squeezed her eyes shut, not wanting to feel the sensation of being Odin, as she always did when summoning Kjata.

The echo of a horse's warcry sounded through the caverns, and Odin's alien, emotionless eyes remained unblinking as he descended, his sword flashing through Jenova as the monster was enveloped in a blinding white light.

Almost before it began, it was over.

Aeris collapsed to the ground, panting, as the crackle of thunder faded from the dark cavern. It was too much; it had been too much, and now she could hardly keep her eyes open as the darkness threatened to engulf her again.

Jenova screamed, shaking the stone walls. It was pitiful, terrifying, ear-splitting; a dying cry. And at last the mighty creature fell, black blood pouring from countless wounds as she took one last breath, two...and was silent.

Aeris took a shuddering breath, realizing that she had accomplished her goal and killed the monster. Cloud sank to his knees beside her, placing a trembling hand on her shoulder. Chaos began to slowly morph back into the Vincent that they were all familiar with.

"We did it," Aeris murmured, and Cloud shook his head. "You did it," he corrected her gently, brushing a strand of hair out of her face.

Suddenly a keening wail arose, and Vincent's face went ashen. "Sephiroth," he said. "He's coming."

* * *

Tifa tried to ignore Elena's eyes boring into the back of her head. The poor, naive girl was still convinced that Tifa had something to do with Tseng's death, and refused to acknowledge the truth. It was her loss, though...Rude was quiet, as usual, with only an occasional glance over his shoulder to ensure Tifa that he remembered she was even there.

She took a deep breath. The last time she and her friends had fought Hojo, he had proved more powerful than they ever could have imagined. Now she was walking straight into the jaws of death, knowing what she was going up against. Her actions were insane! What was she thinking?

"Get moving," Elena snarled, shoving Tifa, who in turn ignored the shorter girl. Bring on the night, she thought darkly. Elena has no idea what she's getting into.

The outcome of tonight was undecided, Tifa thought. She could very well die along with Rude and Elena...but she could also live, and escape, and find her way to Sephiroth. She squared her shoulders as she marched forward determinedly. If tonight was the rest of her life, she was going to make it good.


	11. THE SACRIFICE

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was written by Meriko Robert.

She walked on in silence, mechanically putting one foot in front of the other as she followed Rude and Elena into the elevator. As the glass chamber fell swiftly downwards, Tifa could see the petite Turk shooting poisonous glances her way every few moments, as if she wanted to make it pointedly obvious that the brunette's offers of help hadn't in any way erased the animosity between them. That it was a one-sided hatred gave Tifa only the faintest tinge of regret, a bruise among the breaks and tears. Her heart was top-filled with grief, and there was simply no more room in which to nurture forgiveness and pity for this enemy-turned-ally.

And in the chilled atmosphere of the elevator, between one floor and the next, Tifa suddenly found herself caught up in a desperate struggle. It was not a physical battle, however...it was one much more difficult to grapple with. Too many hurts had gone untended, and now, with no friends around her and nothing to distract her thoughts, the young woman fought for control over her wounded heart. In the battles at the Northern Crater and on the deck of the Highwind, there had been a sense of finality in the air, as if for good or evil, this would be the last; their last war, their last struggle, their last effort. But then, to be hurled backwards in time - or perhaps into another dimension - and set upon a new journey with perhaps even greater consequences...she'd wondered fearfully if this would be the task at which her strength and optimism would fail. And the desperate days spent trying to change fate, to cheat death, to save Aeris...only to lose Cloud. Tears welled up in Tifa's eyes, and she shut her lids tightly. Leaning back against the elevator wall as if merely resting, she let out a trembling sigh and fought to still her shaking.

There had been no time to grieve, and so the healing process that only time could complete had been constantly pushed back, away, aside. Avalanche had been constantly in battle or on the move. When they hadn't been on the move, their minds had been caught up in trying to solve impossible puzzles and answer hypothetical questions. And when necessity forced a rest, she and her companions had fallen into a deep slumber where even dreams were too exhausting to wrestle with. And so she hadn't mourned him.

She had screamed until her throat was raw and then she had screamed some more. She had sobbed and cried until her breath gave out and her vision swam with hazy shadows. But after that first, violent reaction there had been nothing. She had been numb, then angry, and then there were hurtful words from a hurting heart followed by a blind flight away from those who had been suffocating her with their sympathy. Comfort from those who had lost the same man she had, understanding from long-time companions, an empathetic love and reaching out from her friends...it was exactly what she'd needed and yet she hadn't wanted to allow herself to grieve. The pain was so fresh, it was like the shock of a deep wound. A horrid, hideous wound that she could not bear for anyone to touch, to see, to speak of.

_If I don't think about it, maybe it will go away._

A child's first and sometimes last defense against the monsters under the bed. A SOLDIER's desperate, delirious hope as his life bled away. And Tifa's stricken denial of Cloud's death.

There had been no time to grieve, and so the pain and anger and regret had built up within her until now, at this inauspicious moment, Tifa found herself fighting against the urge to collapse on the floor and wail out her grief until she had no more tears to weep. Who cared if Rude thought she was nothing but a weak-minded fool? Who cared if Elena sneered at her pain? What difference if the Turks went to face Hojo on their own? Cloud was dead.

The monsters they'd killed, the people they'd kept safe, the criminals they'd punished...what did it all matter? Cloud was dead.

She wanted to fall into someone's arms, she wanted to cry and be comforted, she wanted to unburden her too-heavy heart...but she couldn't. Cloud was dead.

There had been no time to grieve...just as there was no time now. There was no time, this was not the place, and there were not and would never again be the arms she sought. Still leaning quietly against the elevator wall, Tifa pushed away at the tempting vision of herself curled up on the floor with her head in her arms, the mental exercise almost a habit by now.

_Take a deep breath, clear your mind, prepare for the battle ahead. No time to look back, no time to think, no time to waste; we're going to fight Hojo. You have to stop him, keep the Sister Ray from overloading, keep Sephiroth from calling Meteor_

in this time,

again,

ever.

Do what you came here to do.

...which was to save Aeris, but instead...

Don't think back, don't think about your past but this one, think only about the future in this time, this place. Your friends are fighting even now and you have to help them all you can. Your friends, your teammates, the only other people on this Planet right now who know what you know and who are trying to save a future, a world...

...a world without him...

Think about right now, this very moment, and the upcoming battle, that's all. And maybe after the battle, then what? Escape? Leave Midgar and try to find the others? Or find Reeve, this place's Reeve, and get a hold of our Cait Sith? Or stay, stay and do what I can...see if I can convince Rufus to send help to the Northern crater, see if I can give advanced warning of the Diamond Weapon...

_...the Diamond Weapon..._

Her thoughts, more coherent now and under control, paused for a moment at the memory of the glittering white, biomechanical monster. It had waded through the ocean with the same ease of a child sloshing through puddles after a spring rain, heading straight for Midgar on its individual mission to protect the planet. Avalanche, ironically with much the same mission, had fought the Weapon before it had reached its target, and then...

A soft "ding!" announced that the elevator had reached its destination, and Tifa blinked a few times in surprise as she realized that at some point in her mental struggles, she had stood up straight once more and opened her eyes. The brunette found herself staring blankly at the doors, which opened with a faint inrushing of air, and automatically stepped out with her two companions. Rude led the two young women down a series of hallways, and as Tifa glanced around, she found herself on an unfamiliar floor.

"Where are we?" she asked with a half-hearted curiosity, directing her question to the expanse of blue fabric in front of her.

Elena, who was following her - perhaps not trusting the martial arts expert enough to let the girl out of her sight - said shortly, "None of your business."

But perhaps Rude didn't catch his partner's comment, or he chose to ignore it, for he replied quietly to Tifa's query, "Twentieth floor. There's an express elevator in the back room to the service tunnels for the train system. Fastest way."

Tifa nodded to herself and then noted with a growing sense of relief that the sensation of an impending emotional breakdown had passed. Her heartbeat had slowed - not to normal - but to a rate that bespoke only the usual pre-battle tension instead of a panic attack. Her breaths were even and deep, helping to further center her mind.

_That's right, that's it...just concentrate on now, the situation, the battle._

...the battle.

Tifa frowned as she recalled as many details as she could of Hojo's last minutes. In her past, Hojo had injected himself with Jenova cells, thereby giving him the ability to metamorphose into something quite unrecognizable as human. She wondered how much of the brilliant, erratic scientist's mind had remained in the twisted lump of flesh he had become in the end. And more importantly, she wondered how important foreknowledge of Hojo's self-experimentation might be in this upcoming battle.

For Cloud, Vincent, and herself, it had been a hard but not impossible battle. The three of them had traveled together for so long and fought side by side in so many battles that they had made a formidable team. Cloud's shouted orders had been immediately obeyed, his leadership by now unquestioned, which meant that almost no time had been lost trying to figure out tactics. And they had worked smoothly together, always defending each other when necessary and healing each other's wounds almost as soon as they'd been inflicted.

But instead of a mercenary and an ex-Turk, she now had two current Turks flanking her. Moreover, they were two Turks who had until just recently been hunting her and her friends - or at least their counterparts - with the intent to kill them. She had no doubt that Elena and Rude could fight, and fight well, but against a Jenova creature...she wanted the assurance of a tried and true team. Grimacing at the clarity of her hindsight, Tifa found herself wishing for the umpteenth time that she had not left her companions.

These thoughts preoccupied her mind in the express elevator, through the dusty service tunnels, and up two flights of metal stairs, but as soon as her feet touched down on the platform where Hojo stood, her mind cleared entirely. For a young woman who had dedicated so many lonely hours to learning the the arts of hand-to-hand combat, who had come to rely upon her fighting skills as some rely upon security systems and guards, who had fought more battles than some battlions had ever seen, getting ready to fight was by now a fully automatic process.

If only a monster had come crashing through the glass of the elevator while she had been so close to breaking down, she need not have struggled with her inner demons. As it was doing now, her mind would have immediately cleared of everything except for what information and thought processes she needed in order to do battle. Tears would have been dashed away so that she could focus upon her target, and her fists would have raised at once, with her body falling into the familiar battle stance she always used, distributing her weight evenly and using gravity and focus to anchor her to the ground.

Fighting was about staying on your feet, both mentally and physically.

"Professor Hojo! Step away from the control panel!" Elena shouted, stepping to the front of the team. Although a chill wind blew constantly here on the exposed platform, her voice carried strong and clear. Tifa regretted losing the element of surprise, but she hadn't been able to think of a way to effectively convince the two Turks to simply rush a member of their Board of Directors and murder him. Elena and Rude had no way of knowing that Hojo was now infused with the power of Jenova, nor could they have guessed at his true intentions. To be perfectly honest, so many things had gone awry in this timeline that Tifa had to consider the possibility that the scientist she was now looking at was still 100% human, and would be subdued with no more than a blow or two from Rude's capable hands.

Yeah, sure...life was that easy.

Elena's command was utterly ignored - probably bruising the blonde's pride a bit - and the figure at the controls continued to wreak mechanical havoc with the aid of various levers and buttons. One hand dropped down to her waist, and Tifa assumed that a pistol was being loosened from its holster. "This is a direct order from the President!" Elena shouted anew. "Step away from the control panel!"

Hojo continued to behave as if he were deaf, leaving Tifa to wonder if the tried and true "or else" threat would be delivered next. And then, instead of the impassioned pleas and horrified questions that Cloud had given voice to once upon a time in a far-off future, Tifa was treated to an object lesson from the Turk Handbook.

There were certain predictabilities about battles between humans. Threats were exchanged, with an oft-proved rule that the more ridiculous the threat, the weaker your opponent. Bluffs were made, which was simply a verbal way to play the game of chicken. And if the situation called for it, warnings were given, sometimes just once, but if there was time, in sets of three.

Unless you were a Turk. Then there were no threats or bluffs, nor yet explanations or entreaties...only commands. And the second warning was also the last chance. After that, woe to he who disregards authority, especially the kind that comes in a blue suit.

Tifa barely had time to register the swift movement of Elena's arm before the sharp retort of a pistol crackled through the air. A hundred feet away, Professor Hojo suddenly jerked and then slumped forward onto the control panel, a dark stain spreading over the right shoulder of his formerly pristine lab coat. As if the shot had been a signal, Rude and Elena immediately began running towards the wounded scientist, with one surprised Avalanche member following close behind.

As they closed in, Tifa could see their intended target begin working at the controls and dials before him once more, his right arm now hanging uselessly by his side. As one portion of her mind clinically noted that Elena's shot had most likely severed the brachial nerve in Hojo's shoulder, another part asked rather incredulously if it was really going to be this easy.

As she caught the baleful glares that the mad scientist threw at them as they approached, she decided that it was not.

Rude was the first to reach the control panel, his long limbs carrying him several steps ahead of his companions. As he clamped one heavy hand down onto Professor Hojo's bloodstained shoulder, the "useless" arm suddenly came to life, swinging upwards to deal a blow directly to the Turk's chest. The two women behind him stopped dead in their tracks and watched unbelievingly as Rude was lifted into the air and flung over their heads, landing heavily a few feet behind them.

Elena quickly stepped backwards toward her fallen companion, pistol in hand once more and her eyes trained warily on the suddenly wraith-like man wrapped in a bloodstained lab coat. As the blonde knelt by her groaning partner and administered a potion, Tifa stayed where she was, eyes narrowing and staring hard at Hojo's right hand. It hung down by his side once more, rivulets of blood tracing the contours of his flesh and dripping off of the ends of his fingers, quiet and still compared to Hojo's other hand, which was busily flipping a series of levers. It was pale and ghastly compared to the bright red blood, and the tips were stained with a dark, purplish substance that Tifa hoped was iodine. And it also seemed to be five inches lower than it should have been.

With a last few furious jabs at a keypad, Hojo turned towards his attackers, sneering contemptuously. "You pathetic fools!" he cried into the wind, "Did you really think you could stop us? Did you really think you could stop ME?!" A manic laugh pealed from his lips, and Tifa shivered. The setting was unearthly...high steel over a weapon of previously unimagined proportions, ominous clouds roiling overhead, and a madman standing before them, laughing at their struggles as the wind whipped at his gory clothes.

And the fingers of his right hand were now eight inches long.

"You're nothing!" Hojo suddenly screeched, "Nothing! This entire company, nothing but fools and whores hungry for power that they could never understand! My son! Only my son is worthy to hold real power! The power of the planet!" His left hand, still resting on a lever, suddenly jerked it down, and then Hojo finally stepped away from the control panel, which began to spark pure white arcs of electricity and emit a slowly climbing mechanical moan.

Out of the corner of her eyes, Tifa saw Elena and a fully recovered Rude step up beside her, one on each side. There were confused and slightly shaken murmurs...

"What is he talking about?"

"Oh my God, his arm..."

Hojo raised his arms above his head as if beseeching the heavens...or more appropriately, as if summoning demons from the storm brewing above him. His wounded shoulder seemed to bother him not at all, nor did the fact that his right arm was now hideously mutated seem to register in his mind. A full foot and a half of extra limb now protruded from the sleeve of his coat, and underneath the corpse-white skin, the bones of his wrist and hand seemed to be shifting and growing, moving about underneath his skin like rats in a blanket. Cracking his lips open in an inhuman smile, he cried out, "Now witness MY power!"

Rude stepped forward with his fists raised and a determined look set on his face, and Elena raised her pistol, but Tifa grabbed them both and shook her head.

"You'll never beat him that way," she said plainly. "He's injected himself with Jenova cells, and it's going to take more than hand-to-hand combat to defeat a Jenova creature." Finally tearing her eyes away from the shifting, changing form before them, she asked in an urgent, insistent tone, "What materia do you two have?"

Large brown eyes flickered from Tifa's face to Hojo's rapidly changing form, and then Elena seemed to come to some sort of decision. "Between Rude and I, we have all the elements, and one Elemental each," Elena replied, and then patted a pack at her waist. "I've also got these incendiary grenades, and Rude has a medi-pack." The blonde then watched Tifa expectantly, and Tifa realized with a sort of jolt that she'd been given command for the time being. It was logical, she realized, since she was the only one with any real experience in fighting against Jenova creatures, but she hadn't thought that Elena would relinquish authority so quickly. There was more to the petite assassin than Tifa had thought.

Wasting no more of their precious time, Tifa gave each of the Turks two of her remaining materia. She had handed over all of her mastered materia at Bone Village, but not every materia needed to be at a high level in order to be useful.

As Rude equipped the crystals that had been given to him, Tifa mentioned, "The magic one is a Heal. Use that if we're poisoned, heal us when we're down, and then use the summon whenever you can. It's low level, so when it runs out of spells, just switch to your offensive magic."

Then, nodding towards the yellow orb that she had given to Elena, Tifa said, "Use that right after someone summons, every time. If we run out of spells, then switch to those grenades you have." From her past - future? - experience in fighting the Turks in the train tunnels, Tifa knew that those firebombs packed a great deal of power, despite their small size. "That other one's a Poison. Attach it to your Elemental. Biological attacks are a trademark of Jenova creatures." Her eyes darted back to Hojo, who had finished whatever bizarre metamorphosis he had undergone, and was now stepping away from the control panel to advance upon them.

"Let's go," Tifa ordered.

They stepped forward to meet the enemy, the two women in front, and Rude flanking them as the designated medic usually did. The brunette wasted no time, but quickly raised her arms and centered her mind on one of her remaining summons. The air shimmered around her for a moment, and then she quickly lost herself in a familiar void as her mind was used as a portal for an other-worldly creature to travel through and do battle for her. As her vision cleared once more to the wind-swept platform, she caught sight of some last arcs of lightning dancing around Hojo's staggering form. Next to her, Elena had activated the yellow material as Tifa had instructed, and the startled blonde soon vanished and was replaced by Ramuh.

Seemingly none the worse for wear after the dual blitzkrieg, the professor suddenly leapt forward, covering an amazing amount of ground and lashing out at the nearest opponent with his tentacle-like arms. Elena, still recovering from the summoning, was thrown to the floor and struck solidly in the back and side before Tifa could react. She dashed over, the torn and tattered lab coat fixed in her sights and her body readying for the series of kicks and blows she intended to deliver.

Rude suddenly called, "Look out!" and just as she had reached her target, Tifa was knocked off balance by a blow to the back. Tumbling once and then immediately leaping to her feet, she saw an iridescent form flying up and away from her, wheeling in the air above them like a small, sparkling dragon.

She'd forgotten about those...

Pivoting on one heel, she found that Hojo had retreated for the moment, leaving Elena to scramble to her feet. The Turk, wincing with each breath, glanced at her partner to request aid only to find Rude grappling with a misshapen blob that had flailing tentacles sprouting every which way from its body. Tifa had already run to help him, and two had managed to beat aside the creature for the moment just as Elena reached them.

Nodding towards the silvery creature flying in low circles above them, Rude commented as he ministered to his wounded partner, "That thing's going to be a dangerous distraction. We'd better take care of that one first."

"No, he'll just call another one," Tifa replied. "We'll need to stay as far from them as possible, and just concentrate on long range spells for the moment." Slight frowns met her decision, but there was no further discussion on the subject, and the three ranged themselves out to use their materia once more.

Lightning crackled down and sent showers of sparks flying from the railings and platform, sheets of water came roaring down out of the swirling clouds in an apocalyptic deluge, and concentrated whirlwinds deafened them with their roars. The three put their magical skills to the best use, with each spell causing massive damage to all their opponents, and Elena doubling many of the summons with the Mime materia. The martial artist and two Turks' resources were also put to the test time and time again, as whip-like limbs lashed out at them, and the airborne enemy came shrieking down out of the sky to knock one of them down with slashing claws and wings.

But finally, the pulsating blob and silvery dragons were defeated for good, and the barely recognizable form of Professor Hojo lay still and silent before them, his misshapen arms crumpled and bleeding.

The trio stood quietly for a while, breathing heavily and shaking slightly under the influence of all the adrenaline coursing through their bodies. Elena, because of her position in the front line and also due to Tifa's superior experience and strength, had taken the worst beating of them all, and eyed Hojo's body fearfully. As Rude made one last round and handed out ampoules of reviving medicine, the petite assassin asked quietly, "Is he dead?"

The unease that had been clamoring for attention in Tifa's mind rose to the surface, and the brunette shook her head in an uncertain manner. "I'm not sure," she admitted. "The last time we fought...a Jenova creature, it seemed to decompose or something after it died. It just...melted away, somehow."

"Like that," Elena pointed out, motioning with one hand at the remains of the pod creature, which were now slowly oozing and dripping down through the slats in the metal platform to fall like a noxious rain upon the slums below. They all watched he slimy puddle for a second or two, and then met each others' eyes. Tifa glanced at her glove and the spent summons within it, and wordlessly replaced the now-useless red materia spheres with her Shiva orb and a Contain that she hadn't had room for before. She tossed a Long Range materia to Elena and quietly told her what it was, and was rewarded with a quick, thankful smile from the bruised and battered Turk. Elemental magic glittered emerald-bright from their hands, and finally Rude stepped forward to once more approach Hojo.

As the large man took uncharacteristically slow and careful steps away from his companions, all eyes remained locked onto the fallen form. Fifteen feet away...ten feet...and at the same moment, Rude jerked to a stop and both of the young women shouted, "Get back!" After an instant's hesitation, Rude began swiftly walking backwards, never taking his eyes off of what lay before him. As Tifa had feared, and Elena by chance predicted, Hojo was not finished quite yet.

The three didn't stop to discuss tactics this time, but immediately launched their attack, hoping against hope that they might keep their opponent down in this battle. As Tifa and Elena began their relay of icy summons and Contain spells, Rude prepared to cast a series of all the basic elements. Fire, ice, earth, and lightning were at his fingertips, and he watched carefully to see what kind of damage could be dealt by each. Bright red and green flares of magical energy pulsed around the three combatants almost constantly for the next few minutes, and in between the attacks, Hojo's metamorphosis continued.

The crushed and crumpled arms pulsed along their lengths as if they were flattened balloons being filled with globs of fluid, and slowly swelled into misshapen monstrosities. Mottled bruises appeared all over the skin, and an unnatural array of muscles and tendons caused the arms to bulge outwards in places as if they were trying to burst free of their confines. Further along, more changes were taking place. The same pulsing movement in the arms was also ripping apart the lab coat covering the body as the back and torso swelled and rippled. As the new muscular configurations settled themselves within, this new Hojo slowly raised himself - itself? - on the pillar-like arms and smiled.

Elena, who had just released the strap on her grenade pouch, let out a cry of revulsion at the twisted, lumpy facade that was now leering at her. Glittering black eyes stared at the horrified warriors and then a hissing, gurgling voice issued forth from the gaping mouth underneath.

"Beholllld...HERRR powrrrr..."

If Tifa had only been in the role of an observer, or if she had been watching a movie, or if perhaps she had been born a century too late and had been listening to a legend passed down from generation to generation, she might have been moved by the professor's tale. From encounters with Hojo himself, she had learned of the absolute devotion and drive that consumed him. And through meeting Vincent and piecing together the knowledge gained on her travels, she had gradually put together a grainy picture of the life that the scientist had led. Hard work and a passion for knowledge would have unlocked a great career at any company or research center, but time and circumstances had opened up a much darker path. Shinra and all its opportunities, Nibelheim and the bitter love triangle, the successes and failure in the Wutai war...all had molded his mind to this point, where he had become not a great scientist, but a crazed sycophant.

Behold Her power. This was not the proud declaration of a man holding his discovery up for the world to see, but the cry of a zealot waging a war against a world of unbelievers, armed only with his absolute faith in his God.

...or Goddess.

In another time, another world, Tifa might have pitied this man. So consumed by his zeal as a moth by a flame, so sure of the rightness of his calling as to be blind to all else, so lost to his destiny that he counted it an honor to be mutated into this unrecognizable creature, all for the glory of his Goddess. Perhaps, in some way, he was the victim. All of the atrocities he had commited upon his fellow man...was he wholly responsible, or could the blame be laid at the feet of Jenova. Jenova, who had laid waste an entire race of people millenia ago. Jenova, who had given Sephiroth the final push over the cliffs of insanity.

Tifa knew what it was to be pushed around by fate. Hadn't she watched Cloud take the blame for her fall from Mt. Nibel? Hadn't she stood by his side in his search for a stolen past? Hadn't she watched and waited helplessly as guilt ate him up over things that he couldn't have changed? She knew, and so perhaps, in another time and another world, Tifa might have pitied Hojo.

But she also knew what it was to take what life gave you and overcome. Aeris' gardens in the slums, Cloud's triumph over Sephiroth, Reeve's defiance of Shinra...the very fact that they had come this far in this place in sheer defiance of fate itself...all were mute testimony to the spirit that they shared. The ability to survive, to overcome, to make something better of what destiny decreed.

Tifa knew what it was to be pushed around by fate, and she also knew what it was to push back.

And so without any hesitation she activated the materia in her glove, and with the last of her magic, sent the twisted form staggering backwards with a final Freeze spell. Elena Mimed the spell, while Rude added extra force to the attack with his own ice magic, and with that, the twisted arms that had been so laboriously mutated simultaneously ripped from their sockets and fell twitching to the ground, leaving the rest of what used to be a human being shrieking in agony, or perhaps even anger at their defiance.

Tifa felt a surge of elation at what she hoped was a sign that the battle was near its end, but the feeling was short-lived. Before she knew it, she had been knocked down on the ground. Her eyes blinked open and she immediately screamed and raised her arms in defense against the limbless monster attacking her. She attempted to block the heavy blows being rained down upon her with her arms and legs, and was mostly successful, but a final sharp stab nearly blacked her out with the pain. The wound in her middriff burned, and Tifa curled up at the sensation despite herself, but was spared further attack. A series of heavy thuds and then a large explosion told her that the Turks had come to her aid.

As Elena kept the creature - it was impossible to refer to the monstrosity as Hojo any longer - at bay with her incediary grenades, Rude dragged Tifa hastily over to the side and propped her up against a railing as if she were a rag doll. The ragged puncture wound in her side was turning a gruesome greenish hue, and seeped a thick, yellow fluid. Tifa attempted to drag herself to her feet, but the poison flowing through her veins seemed to have made her as weak and helpless as a newly hatched chick.

"Here," Rude said, slipping the Heal materia she'd given him back into her glove. "Use this. I've got to help Elena."

And with that, he rushed off to help his comrade finish off their enemy, running so quickly that by the time Tifa was able to gasp out, "Can't...nothing left," he was already out of earshot. Tifa watched the two Turks renew their assault on their enemy with renewed vigor, and managed a ragged sigh of relief as she saw that victory was within reach. She let her head sag down until her chin was nearly resting upon her chest, suddenly too tired to even keep her eyes open. There was a nauseating taste in the back of her throat, and every heartbeat seemed to send the venom in her system coursing, pushing her inexorably towards oblivion. As Tifa's eyelids fluttered closed, she attempted to murmur through her hitching, shallow breaths, but only managed a soft sigh.

_Shinra's Turks...not bad. Made a good team. Should have told Elena...should have told her sorry..._

A slight frown crossed Tifa's pale face, her eyelids twitching as she struggled against the numbness creeping over her, giving her the appearance of someone fighting against a nightmare. So many things she should have done, so many things she should have said...

_...should have told Cloud..._

_Cloud, I never told you...I'm sorry..._

Cloud...dead. Aeris, Vincent...gone. The others...left behind. So many people she longed to see just once more, to be with again, to make up somehow all the hours spent apart. Elena, Rude...two enemies and allies. Two people that she perhaps should have reached out to. Two people with whom there were so many unspoken accusations, so many misunderstandings, too many wrongs to set right in so short a time. Rufus...Rufus...one man who had been the crux of so many tragedies. This one person whom she still focused on with the bright, angry eyes of revenge.

So many things left undone, and so many things she still had yet to do. She had to stay awake, she had to fight off the poison until one of the Turks could come and heal her, because dying on this lonely platform certainly wasn't one of her plans. Tifa gathered as much strength as she could and raised her wobbly head to squint blearily at the battle drawing to a close at the other end of the platform. She attempted the draw breath into her lungs for a cry for help, but could only manage yet another hitching sob.

Come on, hold on, think, she told herself. She couldn't give up now. As soon as the fight was over, she might be able to distract the Turks long enough to slip through a hallway or vent somewhere and make her way down to the train tunnels and then escape from Midgar entirely. Or perhaps she'd be able to convince Rufus to let her be one of the ones to go face the Diamond Weapon, if it approached Midgar as it had before. During the fight, or perhaps afterwards, she could easily steal some form of transport and make her way towards Choco Billy's. Even if she couldn't escape, if she could just get her hands on Rufus...she'd gladly trade her life if she could take him with her. There had to be something she could do...there would always be a chance, some way to help her friends...but not if she died here.

Tifa's left hand clenched jerkily over the materia as the young woman fought against fear and frustration as well as the venom in her veins. Warm brown eyes slipped over to gaze at the magical crystal, useless to her now with her energy spent. Or perhaps not quite useless...with as violent a burst of strength as her weakened body could manage, she suddenly flung her arm out, sending the Heal materia flying towards the Turks. And as the green orb went clattering and clinking down the metal walkway, the poison in her body finally overcame her and Tifa slipped into the darkness.

* * *

Voices...she could hear voices. Soft and muted by distance or perhaps the fact that her mind wasn't quite awake, the voices murmured on, invading her foggy mind and slowly prodding her awake. Where was she? As she squirmed slightly, fighting against a feeling of complete exhaustion, she could feel velvety fabric underneath her, resisting her movements with a springy firmness. She forced her eyes open, blinking and wincing as her eyes attempted to focus themselves. All she could see was red.

Red velvet, actually. Tifa pulled her head back slightly and was finally able to focus her eyes on the upholstery of the sofa she was lying on. Red...everything in this office seemed soaked in the color. The curtains, the couch, the carpet that they'd been forced to kneel on when arrested...the blood that had soaked the walls as Sephiroth went on his mad rampage. Tifa rolled off of her resting place, wanting to distance herself from the crimson couch. She hated this color, this room, this building. She hated this place, this company, this life-sucking entity...she had to get out of here. She stumbled slightly as she took her first step away from the couch, slightly dizzy from shooting up so suddenly from her prone position, and placed one hand at her side to try and still the sudden ache that had bloomed there.

Pulling up her shirt a little bit, she peered at her waist and found a small puncture wound. There were faint bruises and broken blood vessels in a large, circular area around the wound, and as she watched, they started to fade away. As she watched the lingering effects of either a Heal spell or potion, her present reality finally came back to her. The fight...Hojo's myriad transformations...the final wound that had poisoned her. Tifa fought against the urge to curse out loud as she realized that she'd missed any opportunity she'd had to slip out of Midgar after the fight. Alert now, the brunette quickly scanned the room and found herself alone. She immediately turned for the stairs closest to her, but just as she reached them, Rufus came walking up the curved stairway his white coat a startling contrast against the red carpeting.

"Where do you think you're going?" he asked, the arrogant, demanding question softened only slightly by his smile.

Movement beyond Rufus' form caught Tifa's eye, and she glanced down the spiraling staircase to see Elena and Rude walking away, headed towards the main stairs. Since answering Rufus's inquiry honestly was impossible, Tifa instead replied with a question of her own. "Where are they going?" she asked, nodding towards the two departing Turks. Somehow, in the short amount of time that they had fought together, a sort of bond had formed between her and her two unlikely companions. And when compared to being left alone with Rufus, even Heidegger's company might have been preferable.

After a quick, casual glance behind him, Rufus continued up the stairs, herding Tifa before him with one outstretched arm. Not that he actually touched her. Tifa very carefully lengthened her strides so that she managed to keep a few inches ahead of his hand, reluctantly leaving the stairway behind. As they walked towards the massive desk from which Rufus ruled his domain, he answered, "I'm sending them to the Northern Crater in the Highwind."

Cid's Highwind, Tifa's mind automatically corrected, and she asked aloud, "Why?" She questioned Rufus not because she wanted to know - since she knew all too well - but because she was desperately fishing for some opening, some out, some way to regain her freedom. The heartbreaking longing for her friends that had troubled her before seemed to have swelled in the short while she had been unconscious, until it was an almost irrational, undeniable need.

Rufus once again declined to answer immediately, and Tifa found herself increasingly impatient with his nonchalance. Didn't this idiot realize that the world was literally ending? Unless Avalanche succeeded in stopping Sephiroth once again, this planet that they were standing on was doomed. And unfortunately, her own Avalanche's interference with this time's team had cancelled all bets as far as the odds for success. Tifa was as unsure of the probability of the sun coming up tomorrow as she'd been the first time Sephiroth had taken refuge in the Northern Crater. His own calm demeanor unruffled, Rufus guided Tifa over to one of the overstuffed chairs - crimson of course - by his desk, and wandered around the massive table to his own chair before answering her.

"Elena and Rude are under orders to stop Sephiroth," he finally explained, leaning back in his seat and smiling lightly at her as if they were discussing what to have for lunch.

Tifa mentally flashed on an image of the two Turks boarding the airship and speeding towards Sephiroth...and her friends. "Well, let me go with them then," she blurted out quickly, growing more nervous as she visualized what could be her last chance for escape walking further and further away with each passing moment. "I'm better than either Elena or Rude at close combat," she added with frank honesty, and was about to add more reasons to let her leave when Rufus interrupted her.

"And what are you going to fight with?" he asked, his eyebrows quirked.

Tifa glanced down automatically at her hands, and started in surprise as she finally realized that her gloves were missing. Gone too was the materia pouch, which had been attached to her belt until recently. The brunette frowned and looked up at Rufus with an accusing expression.

He snorted lightly as if amused at her surprise, and said in a fake, placating manner, "You were unconscious, so I couldn't ask your permission, but you've been so accomodating...I didn't think you'd mind if Elena borrowed your gear. She's quite attached to that rare command materia you gave her," he added, speaking in a tone that indicated that the matter of the borrowed equipment was no longer open for discussion.

Biting back a retort that she hadn't given Elena the Mime materia to keep, Tifa chafed her hands, upset by the lack of her fighting gear, which she had come to view as a part of herself. In fact, she had worn them so often and for so long that the backs of her hands were paler than her fingers, and the skin looked strangely fragile without its accustomed armor. Just wearing the gloves had given her a sense of being prepared and ready for the myriad surprises life liked to throw in her path. And now, feeling alone and vulnerable, she felt the lack keenly.

Suddenly, the sound of alarms came drifting up through the open stairway, and the intercom came to life on Rufus' desk almost immediately afterwards, bringing Heidegger's voice alive in the echoing office. The man's harsh, grating voice was made even worse by the crackling speaker, and Tifa winced as much from the sound as from the news he imparted.

"Diamond Weapon spotted offshore, Mr. President," the speaker announced. "Heading straight for Midgar. E.T.A., 15 minutes!"

Rufus stabbed at the intercom button and ordered, "Send out the SOLDIER materia squads, Tango to Victor. See if the armor drones are of any use. You're in charge until I get there." Cutting off his Head of Public Maintenance and Order with another jab at the console, Rufus then snatched up his telephone and dialed a quick three digit extension. As Rufus connected to the engineer now watching over the Sister Ray and began inquiring about its status, Tifa sat still and silent in her chair, frowning now and nibbling at her lower lip.

Diamond Weapon...Diamond Weapon. Before, Avalanche had met the biomechanical creature on the beach and fought with it for a short while before the Weapon had suddenly turned and left. As it turned out, the massive monster had simply been putting some distance between it and its intended target, stopping a great distance away to turn and fire upon Midgar, perhaps having sensed the power of the Sister Ray gathering there to fire at the Northern Crater.

But now, Avalanche was scattered far and wide, and there were only Shinra troops left to combat the Diamond Weapon. Would they be enough to hold it off from attacking Midgar directly until it sensed the mako cannon? And would the Weapon even act as it had in Tifa's own past? Nothing was for sure in this strange past but for one thing: if the Diamond Weapon did fire on the Shinra Tower, Tifa wanted Rufus to be there.

The brunette stood up out of her chair as Rufus finished his conversation and hung up the phone. He'd mentioned just a moment ago that Heidegger would be in charge until Rufus arrived...if Tifa had anything to do with it, Heidegger would be working overtime today.

Not that Rufus would be around to sign the paycheck, of course.

Although she'd silently berated him for an idiot a few minutes ago, Tifa knew all too well that Rufus was possessed of a keen mind and well-honed instinct. Youth was no guarantee of inexperience or vulnerability...Tifa herself was a prime example of how adversity and trials could mature a person beyond their years. And usually, when she searched for an opponent's weakness, she looked for blind spots, vulnerable areas, and other way in which she could prove to be superior. But in this case, she would have to use his own strengths against him, for she had no weapons, she was on unfamiliar territory, and Rufus could not know what her goal was.

"Wait," Tifa called out, as Rufus strode around the far side of the desk. "Where are you going?"

"You heard Heidegger," he replied shortly, "I'm going to oversee the battle."

Tifa took a few quick steps and fell in beside him as Rufus began to walk towards the stairs. "But you just gave him his orders. Why should you have to go down there to babysit him?" she asked, hoping that she could somehow appeal to his ego or image.

"I'm not going to 'babysit' him, Miss Lockheart," Rufus responded testily. "My father ran his company with blind eyes and lazy hands from that desk and he died that way as well. I don't intend to emulate him."

"But what if something else happens?" Tifa persisted, growing desperate as Rufus' long strides ate up the carpet. "You're the president of this company now, you should stay here in this office and command."

Her pestering seemed to have annoyed him more than anything, for he suddenly stopped in his tracks, turned, and grabbed her by the arm, startling her so much that she instantly ceased her verbal attack. Bringing his face close to hers, he snapped, "Don't tell me how to run my company. What's with you anyway?"

The sudden change from cool and sarcastically polite to this simple and harsh directness gave Tifa pause, and she wondered how to answer him.

_What's with me?_

Her attempts to keep him here in the office were too blatently obvious - and uncharacteristic enough - to catch Rufus' notice. When was the last time she'd been anxious for his company, or been interested in the way he ran things? Her words were ineffective...but what of actions? The obvious answer for this martial arts expert would be to turn Rufus into a senseless, crumpled heap on the floor with a few quick blows, and the mental vision was so appealing that Tifa nearly followed through on the impulse. But the dull ache that still gnawed at her side kept her from attacking. She was still weak and sore from Hojo's venom, and besides which, her hands were bare of the gloves that she was so used to relying upon. And Rufus Shinra was no weakling. Either the poison or the lack of gloves...just one of those would have made the fight a hard one, but with both handicaps, Tifa could not honestly say to herself that she was sure she'd win in the end. Besides, all it would take was one shout from Rufus to bring armed guards charging up the stairs.

The stairs were only fifteen feet away, with the Diamond Weapon coming ever closer, and Tifa couldn't think of anything to say, nor any action to take short of physical violence that might keep Rufus on the top floor until the Weapon attacked.

And then she thought of something, and thought to herself,

_...oh no, anything but that._

But there was nothing else, and only a short distance to the stairs, and not enough time for Rufus to go and come back and so she had to, she had to...

_He wants to know what's with me? Well, here it is, Rufus..._

"I'm scared," she breathed out softly, her voice trembling so much at the thought of what she was about to do that it lent an unhoped-for realism to her act. She laid one shaky hand on top of the one still grasping her arm and pleaded, "Don't leave me, Rufus. Please..."

As a delaying tactic, at least, it seemed to work. Rufus remained standing there before her, the stairs forgotten for this moment. Pale blue eyes stared quite openly at her, and the angry frown smoothed out slightly into a thoughtful one. Tifa could see that he wasn't quite sure, either of her truthfulness or of what he'd heard, and so she rushed on in a desperate attempt to convince him that somehow, he'd missed seeing this frightened, vulnerable girl hiding behind the warrior's facade all this time.

"Please, Rufus, don't leave, don't leave me," she begged again. "You've already given Heidegger your orders and the Sister Ray's almost ready to fire...they don't need you right now..."

...and here was the biggie...

"...but I do."

There was a small yet deep chasm that seemed to open up inside Tifa's heart at that statement. Honesty and optimism...those were her trademarks, her badges of honor, who she was. And here she was, trying to seduce one of her most hated enemies with lies and frailty. There were so many of whom she felt she had to beg forgiveness for this desperate ploy of hers...and one of them was herself.

And just as there had been no time to grieve Cloud's death, so now there was no time for confessing the betrayal of his memory. The blonde haired, blue eyed man that was standing in front of her now had raised his eyebrows and was staring down at her with a look of frank disbelief. Tifa stared right back, half defiant, half still wilting flower.

_I never really thought you were an idiot, Rufus, but I'm betting everything on the fact that you're an arrogant bastard who's too used to thinking he's no fool..._

"I need you up here with me," Tifa restated. "You can't just leave me here all alone, Rufus. Please...I want you here with me." She could feel her cheeks flushing with mortification at the same time that her hands grew chilled with nerves, and wondered how much more of this her pounding heart could take. Was she really doing this?

_Oh God, oh God, this is a nightmare. This is too unreal...he'll never believe this...I can't even believe it!_

But he was still standing there quietly instead of running down the stairs...he hadn't yet scoffed at her pathetic attempts to detain him...he hadn't yet shaken her hand away. "Come on, Rufus," she added after a moment, managing a shaky smile and what she hoped was a coy look, "You said it yourself. You're the only one that gives a damn about me. Prove it."

The silence spun itself out for an agonizing eternity, and then finally Rufus spoke. "Well," he said slowly with a crooked, taunting smile, "I have no idea what game you're playing now, but..." He paused for a moment and ran his hand lightly up her arm as his eyes took an even more intimate tour of her body. His fingers barely grazed her skin, but it was all Tifa could do to keep from flinching under his touch. She repeated to herself that it was only skin, only human, only an ordinary man, not some Jenova creature...but for all her revulsion, the man standing in front of her might just as well have been one of Hojo's hideously mutated experiments. It was no use telling herself that this was only Rufus Shinra, because that was exactly the thing that horrified her.

"...I guess I'll play along," Rufus finally decided, his eyes aglow, and Tifa barely knew whether to sigh in relief or start screaming. She did neither. Instead, just as she did for battles, she cleared her mind of all its clamoring and concentrated on the task at hand. And this horrible task was just as important, for a life hung in the balance, although in battle, she was fighting to save her own life and those of her friends, and now, she was struggling to take someone down with her. But how to arm herself for this struggle?

_Blonde hair, blue eyes...blonde hair, blue eyes..._

Her eyes swept over the sun-bright hair, running along the smooth strands without stopping to notice that they were the wrong length and shape. She gazed steadily into the familiar blue of his eyes, taking care not to dwell on the fact that they didn't glow as if lit by a fire within. How many times had she dreamed of a blonde head hovering above hers, blue eyes looking down at her upturned face? The daydreams had been a sweet secret, hidden away carefully with a touch of embarrassment, a touch of shame. Now she pulled them all forward and drew from her cache of treasured memories to arm herself with all that she had left of him.

_Cloud, oh Cloud..._

Her favorite daydream had been a long-awaited reunion...sometimes by the well, sometimes high above their hometown on the paths along Mt. Nibel, and sometimes he would simply walk into her bar. Oh, but the look in his eyes was always the same. An instant's surprise as he saw her and recognized her, and then a slow, soft smile like the sun coming up on his face as he walked towards her.

She took a small step forward to make the remaining distance between them disappear, with an answering smile curving her lips, and did not allow it to falter when the countenance before her twisted into an arrogant smirk.

_It's you, it's really you...oh Cloud, I can't believe it. I've missed you so much..._

And her dream-Cloud would laugh a soft, melting laugh and embrace her easily, strong arms cradling her close...

...or grab her upper arm roughly...

...and in the laughing, joyful reunion, somehow all of the insecurities and misunderstandings of their childhood in Nibelheim were magically swept away. All the times Tifa had ignored the adoring satellite hovering around her were forgotten, and all the cool, uncaring phrases Cloud had ever spoken were washed away. There remained only their happiness at having found each other once more, and as if words were too simple and clumsy for the vast love they held for each other, they spoke not at all. Everything she wanted to tell him was in her eyes, and everything she'd ever wanted to ask him was answered in his smile.

And then sweet moment, so often replayed in her mind, when his eyelids dropped slightly, shading his brilliant aquamarine eyes into crystal blue...when his laughter died down into a heartbreakingly gentle smile...when his hand cradled her cheek, when his head dipped close to hers, when his lips brushed hers in their first feather-light caress...

...or bruising, forceful kiss that was more possession than passion.

She'd traveled the world over in her dreams and daydreams...from her cozy room in Nibelheim to Holzoff's deserted cabin at Gaea's Cliffs...from the cluttered bar in Midgar to a grassy bank by Gongaga. There had been whispers and laughter and joyful tears, timid confessions of love and tender embraces. And always a barely glimpsed future with vague visions of home and happiness, chocobos and children...

It had never been on a blood red couch at the top of the Shinra Tower. There had never been these ice blue eyes and rough, uncaring hands. And she had never, ever been praying for Death to come, and come soon.

* * *

Tifa straightened her skirt as best she could on a body that felt only marginally hers, and then sat back on the couch, doggedly refusing to look at the man leaning against the desk several feet away. She felt rather numb, as if she were still fighting to free herself from the last, clinging strands of a nightmare and hadn't quite stepped back into reality. Had she really just...well, done what she'd done? The shock of the idea brushed aside the reason behind it for the moment, leaving her in a sort of daze, which Rufus rudely brought her out of.

He was fully dressed once more, with only a few wrinkles here and there, for he'd been much more careful of his clothing than he'd been of her. The alarms were still ringing, but they were muted by distance, and he'd long ceased to notice them. Instead, all of his attention had been focused on Tifa, as she'd despairingly hoped. At first, it had been with lust, and now, with leering malice. "I've had countless secretaries and sluts throw themselves at me," he commented offhandedly, "but none as famous as you. This is certainly one for the message board."

Tifa turned her head and looked at him with a nearly blank expression, which slowly darkened into a frown. The sight of his mocking face brought back to her the reason she'd humiliated herself, and with it, an almost exultant anger.

_You self-serving, egotistical monster...well I've won this round, Rufus._

Struggling to contain her anger and disgust, Tifa replied rather flatly, "Why Rufus, what a nasty thing to say. And here I thought you cared."

He chuckled, apparently highly amused, and said, "Just to set the record straight...back in the Sleeping Forest, I said that I was the only one who  _seemed_  to give a damn, Miss Lockheart. What in the world made you think I actually cared?" Without waiting for her reply, he continued, seeming to delight in taunting her. "I've been using you all along, and you've just played right into my hands, haven't you? You let me know Cloud was missing, you fought Hojo for me, and you even gave Elena the very items she needed to gain the rest of Avalanche's trust. Did you know that? She's got your gloves and your materia to act as emissaries for her...and guess what else I gave her."

He paused for effect and then finished, "Orders to kill everyone at the crater. Your friends will be disarmed and then they'll be dead." With a twisted smile, he added, "You've turned out to be my most useful tool."

Before Tifa could say anything in return, there was a loud detonation and a bright flash of light outside the enormous wall of windows beyond Rufus' desk, followed by a low rumbling that set the chandeliers to tinkling. The force of the Sister Ray firing shook the entire building, and Tifa automatically looked outside to track the blazing comet of energy on its way to the Northern Crater. Straining her eyes far into the distance, she caught sight of a faint flash of light, an answering twinkle to Midgar's bullet.

She'd done it.

Relief washed over her at this one success in her days of tragedies and failures, and the tears that she'd had to hold back almost constantly over the last several hours finally welled up into her eyes. She'd done it. She'd come here to Midgar with the vague hope of somehow helping her friends, and making sure of Rufus Shinra's death was no small accomplishment.

_I did it...I did it. Cloud, oh Cloud..._

She wasn't sure if she was seeking forgiveness or praise, if she was beseeching his spirit for acknowledgement or sending him a message that she'd be with him soon. But somehow, it was all for him. Nothing so simple that could be summed up in one word like revenge or justice...no motive so pure as love or hate.

But there was no time to examine motives and consequences...she had about fifteen seconds to finish what she'd come here to do.

Turning back to lock eyes with Rufus once more, she finally replied to his earlier taunts. "We're more alike than I'd ever cared to imagine, Rufus," she said.

He looked away from the windows as Tifa had hoped, and to his inquiring gaze she replied, "We're both users, to some degree. You use everyone and everything within your reach to attain your goals..."

"And what have you used?" asked Rufus, still with the mocking look on his face.

"Sex," replied Tifa simply, to which Rufus gave a short laugh and inquired,

"And what did you gain?"

Shining on the ocean horizon was a miniature star, growing steadily brighter over Rufus' shoulder. Tifa's heart seemed to swell with the myriad emotions whirling within; triumph, sadness, yearning, regret. Her white knight was coming but just a little late, and the expression that slowly dawned on her face was sweet and sad all at once...a smile to melt a heart of ice, to break a heart of stone, and one that confused Rufus Shinra and made slip his lordly demeanor. With all her heart, Tifa smiled at the brilliant light that was speeding her way and said softly, almost to herself, "Your death."

Rufus' eyes narrowed, both at her words and her strangely uplifted expression. As he noticed that she wasn't looking at him, but over his shoulder, the President of the Shinra ElectricPower Company whirled just in time to see diamond-white beams of energy come screaming through the air and explode through the plate glass of his domain.


	12. THE BATTLE OF THE NORTHERN CRATER

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was written by Frank Verderosa.

Red leaped out of the way as a beam of laser light blasted the ground where he had stood a moment ago, showering the group with tiny pieces of pulverized rock. Above them Weapon roared past, so low the wind of it whipped through their hair. 

"What the hell do these damn things got against us anyway?" Red heard Cid shout. 

Red didn't have time to reply as another blast tore through the rocks not far from him. He heard the staccato burst of Barret's gun arm, and then the air was filled with green light as one of the others cast Ultima.

The Weapon veered away. Red sprang up and looked around. They had all scattered among the rocks at Weapons initial attack, and now he tried to determine where everyone was. They could fight piecemeal like this all day and never make a dent, the only way they had a chance against Weapon was with a coordinated attack. 

The only one he could see at the moment however...was himself.

The other Red, the Red from the past, stood not far away, looking around as well. Red had a strange feeling that his counterpart had come to the same conclusion he had. Not really surprising, considering they were both the same person.

He saw the other Red look up the side of the mountain above them.

"I think I see a cave up above us," he called out. "We may be able to find some shelter there."

Or get ourselves trapped, Red thought. But at least it was a point of reference for them to all gather together. Once they did that, maybe they could come up with a plan of action.

He sprinted off to the left, looking for the others. The sound of Barret's gun made him easy to track down. He was hiding behind a large boulder, with Yuffie beside him. Red couldn't tell whether they were the Barret and Yuffie from the past or future, but at this point, it didn't really matter.

"Up to the cave above us," Red called out. "We need to get organized. We don't stand a chance this way!"

Red glanced up to see Weapon shrieking by above in another pass. He leaped behind the rock as another blast from Weapon's lasers swept over the rocky terrain. The Weapon seemed to be getting hit from all directions, as each of the party members cast spells, or fired their weapons, if they happened to have long range ones, at it as it flew by, but it didn't seem to Red as if they were doing much damage.

As soon as it had past, Barret and Yuffie raced up the slope. Red followed behind, more slowly, still keeping a lookout for the others. He saw Vincent and Tifa to his left, crouching down behind a sharp spine of rock. He called out Even in the din Vincent turned around immediately. Red pointed up the slope, and Vincent waved, apparently understanding. He tapped Tifa on the shoulder, and they both headed upslope. 

Red continued up himself, on a parallel course. He came over a ridge and couldn't help but pause at the odd sight of two Cait Sith's huddled in a shallow bowl dug out of the dirt, as if scooped out by a giant spoon.

A sudden bright light almost blinded Red. Instinctively he threw himself to the ground. He hadn't thought Weapon was that close, and for a moment, he thought he was dead.

A huge roar suddenly filled his ears, and the ground beneath him shook. For a moment, he thought the whole mountain was going to come down, but then the shaking subsided. He lifted his head with a groan, to see that the shimmer of the shield Sephiroth had erected around the northern crater was gone.

"What the hell was that?" one Cait said.

"The Sister Ray. It must have fired. The shield is gone. We can get inside," Red said slowly.

He looked at the two Caits.

"We're got to get upslope. There's a cave..."

"Look out!" one of the Cait Siths shouted.

The Cait who shouted reached out, but Red's instincts had already kicked in, and he threw himself into the bowl of dirt just as a bright red beam of light slashed into the earth beside him with a crack.

Up to this point Weapon had been flying by each pass, perhaps trying to take their measure. But this time, it suddenly stopped and began to hover. Immediately it was hit by a dozen materia spells, but again they didn't seem to be doing much damage. 

"It appears to have decided we can't hurt it much," Red muttered. He was about to say more, but suddenly a dozen beams of light flashed out from the creature, blasting the ground all around them. Red crouched down, trying to become one with the dirt below him, his ear flaps covering his ears at the din.

The beams shifted, seeming to concentrate on one area, not far away from them. Red dared lift his head to take a look around. He could see some of the others, though he could not tell exactly who, a little father up slope pinned down by the increasingly accurate beams.

"We've got to do something!" he shouted. "They're not going to stand a..."

He was cut off again as the sky above him lit up with a furious concussion of explosions. The beams of light suddenly cut off, and Red looked up to see Weapon spiraling away. His spirits suddenly lifted as he saw a flash of crimson on the creatures back. Somehow, they're hurt it.

No, not they. As Weapon flew off he saw something else in the sky, the familiar outline of the Highwind, smoke still floating around it from the barrage of missiles it had just launched at their adversary.

Red lifted himself up, shaking the dirt off his fur. What was the Highwind doing here? Had Tifa brought it back somehow?

"Is it gone?" Cait questioned.

It took Red a moment to realize he was talking about Weapon.

"I don't think so," Red replied. "It was hurt, but not too badly. I think it was more surprised than anything else. It probably went off to regroup. It might be back at any moment."

"Then why don't we get out of here while the going is good?" Cait suggested.

"That might be a very good idea," Red agreed. "Look, the Highwind is coming down. Maybe we have ourselves a ride."

Cait followed Red's gaze and saw that the Highwind had indeed sunk down to just a few meters off the side of the mountain. The ground was too uneven for it to land here, but even as they looked, they saw a rope ladder cast over the side to dangle on the ground not far away.

They hurried toward the ship. As they did so, Red noticed all the other members of Avalanche coming out of hiding, heading for it as well. Two figures appeared coming down the ladder.

"It's the Turks," Red observed. He didn't see any sign of Tifa or Reeve. He wondered just what was going on. He guessed he'd find out soon enough.

They were only a short distance from the aircraft now. They could plainly see Reno and Elena standing beside the rope ladder.

"What are you doing here?" Red heard Cid challenge.

"Isn't it obvious," Reno stated. "We're here to help."

"Yeah, that's likely," came Yuffie's sarcastic comment. She stared at Reno. "Hey, what happened to your face?"

Reno frowned. He was well enough to travel, but the bruises Tifa had left on him were still evident.

"None of your business," he muttered.

"You've come to help us? I find myself skeptical as well," Red turned the conversation back to something more relevant.

"Hey, we made that Weapon turn tail and run, now didn't we?" Reno pointed out. 

"It'll be back," Red stated calmly.

"Well, then we'll..." Reno began, then he stopped. Standing in front of him in the group was a familiar brunette. 

"How...how did you get here?" he stammered, jerking back, looking at Tifa. 

"Same as the rest of us," Barret stated. His words brought the Turks attention to him, and the man who was standing right beside him.

Reno's eyes grew even wider at the sight of two Barret's standing side by side. 

"What the hell?" he muttered, looking completely confused. Red couldn't blame him, it did take a little bit of getting used to.

"Boy you guys are dense," Yuffie cut in. "There's two of all of us. You see, one set of us is..."

"That's enough," Red suddenly cut her off. She glared at him for a moment, but said nothing more. Red wasn't sure what the Turks were up to, but he knew from experience not to take them at their word. If they didn't know what was going on, he wasn't about to tell them until he was satisfied about their intentions.

"Why are you wearing my gloves?" Tifa questioned.

Elena just looked at Tifa, apparently as tongue tied as Reno. Tifa stepped forward, glaring at Elena. She was tempted to shout out, 'what have you done to me?' but it seemed like such a silly question.

"You...you gave them to me," Elena finally managed to get out.

"Why would I do that?" Tifa inquired.

"You...or the other you, or whoever the hell it is back in Midgar, was hurt in a battle with Hojo," Reno interjected. "Badly enough so that she couldn't join us. But she gave us the gloves as a sign that we were telling the truth."

Tifa fell silent, looking at the two of them. She couldn't believe she would voluntarily give her gloves to the Turks. But so much had happened, so much had gone wrong these last few days, so much had not been what it seemed. She didn't know what to believe anymore. She turned to look at Red.

Elena glanced over at Reno. This was not turning out the way he had expected. How could there be two of everyone? Was it some sort of weird cloning thing? But if that were so, wouldn't they have known about it sooner? She had no idea what was going on, but it was obvious that having two of all of them around was going to make it doubly hard to kill them all.

She felt her hand reaching up for her jacket pocket, and the gun inside. Reno saw her hand and gave the slightest shake of his head. Elena frowned. What was he waiting for? Had he decided that the odds were too great now, that they'd have to retreat back to the Highwind and blow Avalanche up with missiles, just as she had suggested from the very beginning?

But no, that was too impersonal for Reno. He wanted to see the look on their faces. He hadn't thought their might be two of each face. So now what were they going to do?

"Reno!"

They all turned and looked up to see Rude standing on the deck of the Highwind. Reno frowned. He was supposed to be manning the controls, ready to fire more missiles in case anything went wrong. What was he doing out here?

"What is it?" Reno said irritably.

"I just got a call from Reeve," Rude replied. "Midgar was attacked by one of the Weapons. Rufus and Tifa are both dead."

Reno looked surprised once more.

"What do you mean...dead?"

It was Tifa. She was standing still, looking up at Rude, the color slowly draining out of her face.

For a moment no one said anything.

"Just what he said, sister," Elena said with a sneer.

"Shut up!" Red snapped. And the others did, for a moment, not used to such an outburst from the red beast. Red didn't know exactly what was going on himself. He considered for a moment that this might be some Turk trick, but quickly discarded the idea. Rude had sounded sincere, and he couldn't see what advantage they might get by lying about that. If it was true, if Tifa had really been killed, that was certainly not something the Tifa here needed to hear. 'Shut up' had been the first thing that had come to his mind.

But he knew that wouldn't keep the Turks quiet for long.

"We don't have time for this," he continued. "Weapon might be back at any moment. The shield is gone. We have to stop Sephiroth before it's too late."

He looked at Reno.

"If you're really here to help..." he began.

"Actually, we were sent here with orders to kill you," Reno replied.

"Reno!" Elena blurted out. What the hell was he telling them that for?

"Don't get your panties in a twist, Elena," Reno said. "You heard what Rude said. Rufus is dead. His orders no longer stand."

Elena just stood there.

"So? That doesn't mean..." she stammered.

"Shut up Elena."

Elena just stood there, her mouth open and her face crimson. Reno turned to Red.

"What is it exactly that Sephiroth is trying to do?"

"Summon meteor to damage the planet, then steal the energy the planet uses to try to heal itself. It will make him a god, but destroy everything else."

"Everything else?" Reno questioned.

"Yes, everything else," Yuffie interrupted. "The planet, you, me, everything!"

Reno just stood there, apparently contemplating what they were telling him.

"Don't tell me you're actually going to help them?" Elena couldn't contain herself.

"Elena, wake up," Reno snapped. "I'm sure you realize that  _everything_  includes you and I."

"And you're going to believe them?" she questioned, the tone of her voice making it obvious she thought that the height of stupidity.

Reno looked at Red for a moment.

"Why not?" he replied. "They may be assholes, but they're not liars. In fact, I don't think this furball is capable of lying."

"So you're just going to ignore your orders," Elena snapped.

"Rufus is dead, remember?"

"But the orders still stand!"

"What makes you say that?" Reno looked up at Rude. "Who's in charge back there in Midgar now?" 

Rude shrugged.

"No idea," he replied.

"Did they issue any new orders?"

"No," Rude replied. "Reeve just told me what I told you. That was it."

"So, Rufus is dead, and we've got no new orders," Reno summarized. "That means we have to use our own initiative. I'd say that right now, Sephiroth is the bigger threat. Wouldn't you agree?"

Elena just looked at him sullenly.

"All right," Reno continued. "What do we have to do?"

"We need the Highwind," Red said immediately.

"Why did I have a feeling they were going to say that?" Elena muttered.

Red looked up at the airship.

"Rude, come down," he called.

"Wait," Elena cut in. "What are you going to do? We may have agreed to help, but you're not going to leave us behind."

"I don't have time to explain!" Red said. "You'll have to trust us."

He turned to the others.

"Everyone from the past, get on board the Highwind," he proclaimed.

"Just the people from the past?" Yuffie questioned.

"Duh," Cid cut in. "Do we have to remind you that right after the battle with Sephiroth is when the Highwind got sent back into the past. The 'original' us have to be on board."

Yuffie frowned. Barret just gave him a blank stare.

"Am I right?" Cid said, turning toward Red.

"Yes," the red beast agreed. "Or at least, that's the way I think it should work. If things go as they did the first time, after the battle the Highwind will be thrown back into the past, and the original 'us' along with it."

"If everything goes as it did the first time," Vincent repeated. "But it already hasn't. Do I need to remind you that things have changed from the first time around?"

"I know that," Red answered. "But I don't know what else to do. We'll just have to assume this happens just as it did the first time."

"Even if we do get on board, what about Cloud?" Cid questioned. "He's in the northern crater with Aeris and the other Vincent. How can we go back into the past without him?"

"Again, I don't know," Red stated. "The battle with Sephiroth isn't over yet. I can only assume that somewhere along the line, they'll be an opportunity for him to board the ship."

"That seems like an awful lot of assuming," Barret said thoughtfully.

"I agree," Red said. "But it doesn't seem like we have much choice. I'm afraid none of us have much experience with this time travel thing."

"Weapon's coming back!" Cait called out.

They turned to look up in the air, and saw the dark figure of Weapon approaching.

"All right, everyone from the past, get on board the Highwind!" Red shouted.

"What about the rest of us?" Yuffie called ou

"Everyone else up the slope. The shield is gone. There's nothing to prevent us from entering the northern crater. Maybe we can get there in time to help Cloud and the others against Sephiroth."

"On foot?" Cid questioned.

"Do you have a better idea?" Red snapped.

Cid paused for a moment.

"No, I guess not."

"Forget about Sephiroth, we've got bigger problems right now," Yuffie exclaimed. "How are we going to deal with Weapon?"

Red turned to see the dark figure of Weapon growing rapidly in the sky behind them.

"I'm not sure," he replied. "For now, I suggest we run!"

* * *

Yuffie ran after the others who were boarding the Highwind. She wasn't sure of Red's reasoning, but it seemed hopeless to figure out what was going on herself. The whole thing didn't make any sense to her. Still, she couldn't deny that there were two of all of them. It was weird. She paused, looking back up the slope to see the Turks and the others from the 'future' running up the slope, but she couldn't see herself anymore. This whole thing was freaking her out. 

Still there didn't seem to be much she could do about it but go along. 

She looked ahead again. She had fallen behind a bit when she paused, and now she saw that most of the others had already reached the ship, and Cid was already climbing the ladder.

A dark shadow suddenly blocked out the light.

Yuffie threw herself to the side and the beam from Weapon sliced through the ground nearby. She covered her head with her hands as she was deluged by a shower of rock. For a moment she lay there, then felt the earth tremble again as another beam hit the ground, this one not so close. Strangely, even after the beam stopped firing, the earth continued to tremble.

She lifted her head, to see an avalanche of rocks bouncing down the slope toward her.

"Yikes!"

She ducked and covered her head. She bit back an exclamation of pain as one of the rocks hit her arm. A moment later another one stuck her in the head.

White sparks shot through her brain. For a moment, she thought she was going to pass out. But, she was still conscious after the rockslide stopped, though her head throbbed.

She pulled herself to her feet, then had to pause as a wave of dizziness washed over her. 

She looked up. She could see Weapon off in the distance, turning, apparently, to come back for another pass. She could see the Highwind too, though she couldn't see the others anymore. They must already all be on board.

She forced her feet into motion, running down the slope as best she could toward the ship. Then engines had maintained a steady hum as the Highwind hovered above the ground, but now the hum increased to a roar.

Yuffie looked at the ship, shocked, as it began to move.

"Hey, wait for me!" she called out.

She could see the deck, and could make out figures there. She thought it was Vincent and Tifa, but she couldn't be sure at this distance. They didn't seem to be looking at her.

"Hey, wait up! Don't forget about me!" she called out, waving her arms as she ran. 

She put on a burst of speed, racing recklessly down the slope toward the ladder.

But just as she thought she might have a chance of making it, the full power of the Highwind's engines kicked in. The aircraft suddenly sped forward, lifting up off the ground, quickly gaining altitude.

Yuffie stopped running, her hands falling to her sides, looking up at the aircraft above her, and the ladder that was now hopelessly far above her head.

"Oh gawd," she muttered. "I'm in trouble now."

* * *

Cloud didn't need Vincent's warning. Already he could hear it, that mocking laughter that had tormented him for so long now. He lifted his head, sword in his hands, and turned as out of the mists in front of them a familiar figure appeared.

"So, you've made it to the reunion."

Cloud's features darkened into a frown.

"Sephiroth," he spat out. 

Sephiroth laughed again. 

"You are persistent Strife, I'll give you that," he said. "I though I killed you back at the City of the Ancients, even though my blade was meant for the Cetra, but like a bad penny you seem to keep coming back. Not sure exactly how you pulled that one off, but I'm not going to let you stop me now, no matter how many times I have to kill you."

"You'll never defeat us Sephiroth," Cloud replied.

Again Sephiroth laughed.

"I'm the pinnacle of the SOLDIER program. I was engineered to destroy any enemy. You're just a failed experiment. And who do you have with you? A washed up ex-Turk? The Cetra? What do you think she can do? Just look at her! Why, she looks like she's practically dead already."

Cloud resisted the urge to glance over at Aeris. He knew Sephiroth was right. Aeris did look on the verge of death.

"You really think you can beat me, even with your pathetic friends?"

"I don't need any help to beat you," Cloud snarled.

Sephiroth laughed again. Cloud just glared at him. He was really starting to get fed up with that.

"Do you seriously think you can challenge me?" Sephiroth asked. "Just you against me?"

"Just watch me!" Cloud snapped.

Sephiroth slid his masamune out of it's sheath.

"So be it," he said, his lips curving up into a mirthless smile.

Cloud took a step forward, sword poised, but suddenly Vincent up beside him, raising his gun.

Cloud turned to look at him.

"Vincent, stay out of it. This is between Sephiroth and I."

The ex-Turk did not seem particularly swayed by Cloud's words.

"The last time we fought him, it took all of us working together to beat him," Vincent stated. "This is no time to let your ego get in the way of your better judgement."

Cloud glared at him. The last time they fought? Did he mean back at the City of the Ancients? Where his other self, or however that had been, had died saving Aeris? For some reason Cloud didn't think that was what Vincent was referring to. It was something more complicated than that, but Cloud didn't care. He didn't care what was going on. Since he had left the City of the Ancients he had had only one thing in mind. To find Sephiroth, and to destroy him. As far as he was concerned everything else was secondary, everything else could be figured out afterward. 

"Stay out of this Vincent," he said coldly.

"He's right Cloud. Sephiroth is manipulating you once again."

Cloud turned to see Aeris had somehow struggled up to a sitting position on the cold ground behind them. Sweat beaded on her brow, and she looked like she would keel over any moment, but her eyes were keen.

Still, he wasn't about to let even her change his mind.

"No," he said slowly. "Not this time. Maybe for the first time this is my decision. It's going to end here, now. No more manipulation, no more talk. It's down to a very simple equation. Just you and me Sephiroth, one on one, to finally end it all one way or another."

"Cloud, please!" Aeris pleaded.

He stepped forward, once more in front of Vincent. He turned toward his dark companion.

"Not this time Vincent. This is my battle. Just keep Aeris safe."

Cloud shook his head and turned to face Sephiroth.

"No more talk," was all he said. 

With that he leapt forward and smote at Sephiroth with all his might. 

Sephiroth stepped to the side, cutting it so close that Cloud's blade touched his coat, though not enough to cut it. Instantly his own blade flashed, and Cloud got his up barely in time to parry the blow.

Cloud pressed his attack, his sword weaving a deadly net in front of him. But it was a net Sephiroth refused to get caught in. A number of times, Cloud was sure he had him, yet somehow, everytime, at the last moment Sephiroth slipped aside, and Cloud's blade only cut the air, as if the man her were fighting was some phantom instead of flesh and blood.

Sephiroth slowly retreated, for the most part on the defensive. Occasionally his sword flicked out in a counterattack, moving so quickly it could hardly be seen. A number of times Cloud barely missed being impaled. Sephiroth's blade was longer, which gave him a distinct advantage. Only Cloud's catlike reflexes prevented the fight from being over before it began.

Aeris felt herself sinking to the ground again. Her vision was blurry, her head spinning. She was burning up, and she didn't think she could remain conscious much longer. She could barely see the two fighters, their swords a blur between them. Beside her Vincent was easier to make out. He stood with his gun in his hand, indecision as to whether to intervene or not written on his face. She wished he would. Cloud was being foolish. She was sure of it. What Sephiroth had told them was true, he was the end result of a long line of experimentation by Hojo to create the finest warrior in the world. How could Cloud possibly beat him by himself?

She looked down at her trembling hands. The Princess Guard felt like it weighted ten tons. She didn't think she could even lift it anymore, much less wield it. Even if Cloud had accepted their help, she would be useless.

There had to be something she could do! She couldn't just lie here, she couldn't do nothing while her friends fought, and possibly died. Hadn't she run off to face Sephiroth by herself just to prevent that? How had she expected to win?

But that had been different. She had had no intention of facing Sephiroth directly, to fight him hand to hand, or weapon to weapon. She was no match for Sephiroth physically. She had tried to call on the power of holy to help.

And it hadn't come. Sephiroth was blocking it somehow. The power of the black materia was stronger than the white.

What could she do?

She could barely make out the two fighters now. Their battle had taken them quite a distance away from her. Was Cloud their only hope? From what she had been told, he had somehow beaten Sephiroth once, back at the reactor at Nibelheim. Could it be possible he could do it again.

But Sephiroth had been taken by surprise then. He hadn't expected Cloud to survive his attack. This time he was prepared. He wouldn't underestimate his foe again.

Aeris head sank down, feeling to heavy to lift again, though she desperately wanted to. It was no longer in her hands. Whatever happened was going to happen without any interference from her.

Or perhaps not. There was one thing that she still might be capable of doing, though she had little hope that it would have any effect on the outcome. Giving up trying to raise her head, she instead let it sink to the ground, closed her eyes, and prayed to the planet.

Cloud lunged to the side, bringing his sword up. Sephiroth's blade flicked out again, and Cloud, though he nearly fell over in the process, managed to avoid it.

Or so he thought. 

Sephiroth stepped back, looking at Cloud contemptuously. He held his blade in front of him, and Cloud saw that the end was tipped with red. 

He looked down and saw a long gash along his lower left arm, blood already beginning to seep out of it.

Cloud attacked. The wound couldn't be very deep. There was no pain, and he hadn't even felt Sephiroth's blade make contact.

Sephiroth stepped to the side. Just as he did so Cloud's own blade altered course. It sliced below Sephiroth's guard, cutting across Sephiroth's thigh. 

Sephiroth's sword flew through the air again. Cloud desperately dodged, throwing himself to the ground and rolling right past his adversary. He sprang to his feet again, but Sephiroth did not press the attack for the moment, instead he looked down at the wound on his thigh.

"You've lasted longer than I expected," he said. "Not bad for a failed experiment. You've got guts, I'll give you that. It's been a long time since anyone wounded me. I have to admit it's been fun toying with you, but all good things must come to an end. Meteor is approaching, and I have to be prepared to welcome it. It's time to finish this!"

And with that he lifted his sword and...

Turned and ran. 

For a split second Cloud just stood there. Their battle had repositioned them from their initial alignment. Cloud had been between Sephiroth and Aeris, but no more. With a curse Cloud realized he had been tricked. Sephiroth must still think Aeris was his biggest threat. He realized that the whole point of Sephiroth's maneuvering in this battle had not been to kill Cloud at all, but to get to her. Now his enemy had a clear path to the Ancient, who was lying helpless on the floor, and Cloud wasn't close enough to stop him.

"Vincent! He's after Aeris!" Cloud shouted.

Vincent didn't need Cloud's warning to tell him that. His gun came up the moment Sephiroth turned toward them.

They weren't that far apart. It only took Sephiroth seconds to cover the distance. But that was still enough time for Vincent to squeeze off two shots. The first hit Sephiroth in the shoulder, thudding harmlessly off of his armor. Vincent lifted his aim and fired the next shot at Sephiroth's unprotected head, but with a blur of motion Sephiroth's sword came up and with a clang, the bullet deflected off of it.

The masamune swung through the air. Blood spurted from Vincent's arm, and the gun fell from his hand. 

For a moment time seem suspended, as Sephiroth and Vincent stood there eye to eye. One man holding a sword, the other, defenseless.

Then Sephiroth's's sword drove forward, and, with almost no apparent effort, up and through Vincent's chest.

"No!" Cloud shouted.

* * *

Tifa stumbled slightly as she stepped onto the deck of the Highwind.

"Are you all right?"

She lifted her head to see Vincent looking at her.

"Yes, I'm fine," she said slowly. In spite of her reassurance, she wasn't. She hadn't forgotten what Rude had said. She was well aware that Red had deliberately changed the subject to avoid talking about it. 

She turned away from Vincent and looked blankly out over the land below.

Dead? Could she really have died? Rude had no reason to lie about something like that. If she understood what was going on, and even that was a reach, then the duplicates they had met of themselves were from the future. Whatever happened to the Tifa that went to Midgar would happen to her at some future date.

Which meant she was doomed.

She turned around as she felt Vincent's hand on her shoulder.

"No one knows what the future holds," he said quietly.

"It seems that we do," she contradicted.

"From what I understand, we go back in time, and we change things. Perhaps if we go back again, we can alter that fate as well," Vincent suggested. "Maybe there's a way to save both you and Cloud."

 _Cloud_.

They had parted ways, but he was never far from her thoughts. She had seen him die. He had seen it himself. Now she thought she was begining to understand how he felt, knowing your life was hollow, knowing that you had no future.

So they would both die, together, here in the past, or the future, or whatever time it was. Could she take some comfort from that?

If so, it was bittersweet at best.

Tifa shook her head. How could they change what had already happened, even if it was in the future? She realized that didn't make any sense, but nothing about this situation did. 

She turned toward Vincent and looked in his eyes. Was he trying to comfort her? That didn't seem at all like the Vincent she knew.

He was always hard to read. Was that a sympathetic look? She couldn't tell.

She turned away again. The land below them was moving now. The Highwind was taking them inexorably to their fate, whatever fate it might be. She wondered for a moment what would have happened if she hadn't got on board. If she didn't go into the past, she wouldn't be killed. 

But if she never went into the past, she never would know that she was to die in the first place.

She lowered her head, feeling like Barret had looked everytime they talked about this. None of it made any sense to her.

"Maybe you're right," she said slowly. "Maybe there is something we can do. But there's no sense worrying about it. I...I feel like curling up into a ball and crying. But there's no time for that. We're going to face Sephiroth. You're going to need my help. I have to be strong now. I can't think about anything else."

Just take it one step at a time, she thought. That's all. Anything else and she thought she'd go crazy.

Vincent looked at her for a long time, then nodded ever so slightly. She noticed his hand was still on her arm.

"Everything all right up here?"

Vincent's arm dropped immediately. They turned to see Barret standing in the doorway to the lower deck.

"Yes, fine," Tifa forced herself to say.

Barret nodded.

"Okay, just making sure everyone's here."

"I don't recall seeing Yuffie," Vincent commented.

Barret frowned.

"You know her, she's probably down in the hold puking her guts out. Something I wouldn't be anxious to interrupt."

Tifa gave him a crooked smile.

"I suppose," Vincent said thoughtfully.

All right," Barret said. "We're heading into the crater. I just hope Red knows what the hell he was talking about."

Neither Tifa nor Vincent replied. The ex-Turk suddenly turned, staring out over Tifa's shoulder.

"Weapon," he said softly.

Tifa spun around. She had almost forgotten about their gigantic adversary, too wrapped up in her own problems. But there was no missing it now. It was streaking through the air like a dark missile, headed straight at them.

Vincent had his gun out, though Tifa could not remember seeing him unholster it. Tifa cleared her mind, then raised her arm and concentrated on her materia.

The Highwind suddenly bucked to the side, throwing Tifa off her feet, not to mention ruining her concentration. She would have fallen had not Vincent's hand reached out to grab hold of her arm again. Cid must have seen Weapon coming, and had thrown the Highwind into some evasive maneuvers.

Beams or red ruby light streamed out from Weapon, burning the air where the Highwind had been a moment ago. The beams altered course, following the Highwind, and rapidly catching up.

"C'mon Cid," Tifa muttered. "Get it in gear."

The beams drew closer. The Highwind lurched again, but this time Tifa was ready for it, and stayed on her feet. The aircraft turned, but it was still not up to full power, and the turn was agonizingly slow.

Vincent stared at Weapon, and the laser beams that were rapidly approaching. Suddenly he reached out and pulled Tifa toward him.

"It's going to hit!" he exclaimed.

A moment later there was a thunderous crash as the deck exploded beneath them. In spite of her bracing herself, Tifa found herself thrown from her feet. She cried out as something hit her in the back of the head. Vincent still held her, but the deck suddenly dipped below her, tilting to the side, and both of them were rapidly sliding down it. Holding onto Vincent with one hand, she desperately clawed the deck for any purchase with the other. 

She lifted her head. She could see smoke and fire billowing around her, but not much else. The deck above her seemed impossibly angled. She turned her head and saw a gaping hole in front of them, smoke pouring out of it. The whole side of the ship was gone, including the railing. And beyond that, she saw only blue sky.

"Vincent!" she cried out.

Uselessly she tried to dig her nails into the deck. A moment later they reached the end. Tifa screamed as she tumbled over. But suddenly her momentum was jarringly halted. She looked up to see Vincent's claw wrapped around a spar of wood, while she had both hands wrapped around his other arm.

Tifa glanced down, and immediately realized that was a bad idea. The ground spun far far below her. She looked up again, seeing Vincent looking at her. She could see the strain on his face from trying to hold onto the spar with one arm, at the same time holding her up. She wanted to scream at him not to let her go.

But she bit her lip and held her tongue. This whole thing seemed like madness. Ever since they had started following Sephiroth things had spiraled out of control. Sometimes it seemed like the whole thing was just a dream. Some horrible dream. Maybe that's all it was.

A creaking groan emanated from the spar. For a moment Tifa held her breath, but the spar held.

But for how long?

One thought echoed through her head, no matter how she tried to suppress it.

She was going to die anyway. 

She looked at Vincent again.

There was no need for him to as well.

"Vincent," she said softly.

He did not reply, just looked down at her.

He felt her grip loosing on his arm, and tightened his own.

"What are you doing?" 

"You've got to let me go," she said.

"Tifa..." he began.

She shook her head.

"I'm going to die anyway," she told him. "There's no sense in holding onto me. Save yourself."

He just stared at her.

"Please!"

Still no response.

"Vincent?"

She looked into his eyes, but she still couldn't read what they hid. But his grip did not loosen.

"Don't give up," he said.

"Hold on you two, I'll try to find a rope!"

Both their heads jerked up at the sound of Barret's voice. Tifa couldn't see him at all, but apparently Vincent did, for he nodded.

He looked back down at her.

"It's not over yet."

With a sudden final crack, the spar suddenly gave way.

Tifa tried to scream as they plunged downward, but for some reason, she couldn't get any air in her lungs. The world was spinning around her, one moment glimpsing the Highwind above them, the next the green earth below. A moment ago she was ready to let go of Vincent, but now she held on with a death grip, as if that could somehow protect her. She didn't want to die.

And as it turned out, her death grip on Vincent was what saved her. For suddenly, Vincent was no longer there. In his place was a huge gray beast. Tifa had seen Vincent transform in the past, but she hadn't seen anything like this before.

But her surprise at his transformation wasn't as great as her relief to see the huge wings on his back, and the fact that their plummet had suddenly turned into a controlled dive towards the ground below them.

A few moments later they landed, too swiftly. They both tumbled to the ground. 

Vincent recovered quickly, getting lightly to his feet and transforming back to his usual self.

"Are you all right?"

He extended a hand, Tifa accepted it and he pulled her up as well.

"Yes," she replied. The she suddenly lunged forward and shoved him.

"Why didn't you tell me you could fly?" she said accusingly.

Vincent shrugged.

"Until just now, I wasn't aware I had that particular capability," he replied. He had to admit the timing of it couldn't have been better.

"Sheesh, you think someone would know something like that about themselves," was all she could think of to say. "Can you fly us back to the Highwind?"

"That's probably not a good idea. Look."

She turned around. The Highwind was far away from them now, but still in plain sight. She gasped when she saw the damage Weapon had inflicted upon it. Flames covered the entire back half of the ship, leaving a long trail of smoke behind the craft. From the damage she saw, Tifa could hardly believe the thing was still in the air. But it was obviously in trouble. It was making a slow turn in the air, and diving down, angling toward the lip of the crater. If they didn't pull up, it looked to Tifa like they would hit it.

They were to far away to see anyone, but Tifa could imagine Cid at the controls, trying desperately to get the airship to pull up. If anyone could to it, he could.

The ship continued to rush toward the ground. Even if they pulled up now, Tifa wasn't sure they'd make it. It was going to be close.

'C'mon Cid' she mentally urged.

The airship bucked, it's nose coming up for a moment. It was still hurtling rapidly toward the rocks. Tifa held her breath.

Then, suddenly, there was a loud explosion. The back third of the aircraft broke off in a mass of flame. Completely out of control, the entire airship dropped like a stone. A moment later is smashed into the ground. Tifa's face went white and her hand came up to cover her mouth as a huge fireball erupted where the Highwind had been a moment before.

"Oh my god, no!" she cried out.

* * *

"Red!"

The red beast didn't need Yuffie's warning to see. The group was higher up than Tifa and Vincent, had in fact reached the very pinnacle of the crater wall, and had an even better view of the Highwind's death. The smoke from the fires obscured things, but not enough to see that the Highwind had been instantly reduced by the explosion to a mass of burning wreckage. It didn't seem possible that anyone had survived.

Which, of course, was impossible.

They couldn't die. Their past selves couldn't die. If they died before they went back into the past, then he wouldn't be here. None of them from the future would be here.

He looked down at himself, wondering if he was going to suddenly fade away. Wondering if he was some kind of phantom and just hadn't realized it yet. He felt the urge to pinch himself to make sure he was real.

But that was ridiculous.

"What just happened?"

He turned to see Cid standing beside him, looking down at the remains of the Highwind with an expression he supposed was similar to his own.

"I'm not sure," Red replied honestly. "However, it would appear we were just killed."

Yuffie stared at him, her face pale.

"Is that possible?"

For a moment Red did not reply. Frankly, he was starting to get tired of everyone expecting him to know all the answers. But he couldn't blame them.

"I don't know," he said.

"Could it be..." Cid began. "Could it be that that's what really happened?"

"What do you mean?" Yuffie questioned.

"When we went into the past," he said. "Maybe that's what happened when we left. The Highwind crashed, and at that instant we were transported into the past."

They thought about that for a moment.

"Yeah, maybe that's it," Yuffie agreed, brightening.

"I don't know," Red repeated. "I suppose it's possible. But we weren't about to crash the first time. And we were transported into the past with the Highwind, remember?"

Yuffie's face fell.

"But we've changed things," Cid reminded them. "A lot of things haven't happened the way they did the first time. Maybe it's possible..?"

"And what about Cloud?" Red continued. "He wasn't on board."

"Oh yeah," Cid replied. "I forgot about that."

"So what the hell does it all mean?" Yuffie said, obviously quite frustrated with the discussion.

"I told you, I don't know!" Red replied, a bit testily. "The problem is, we don't know the rules of time travel. It's never been done before, remember?"

"We can debate it all we want," Barret cut in for the first time. "But we still have Weapon to worry about. Look, here it comes again."

"Why can't that thing just leave us alone?" Yuffie whined.

"Everyone get down!" Cid commanded.

Weapon streaked through the air, heading straight for them. Green light flared up as Red and his companions concentrated on their materia. Red ducked down as Weapon approached, prepared for the now familiar beams of ruby light.

The group cast their spells, and, as usual, they didn't seem to have much of an effect. Weapon continued to bore down on them, looming larger and larger until he seemed to block out the entire sky.

And then...he was past them

Red lifted his head, too surprised by the lack of attack to think about safety. Weapon flew on, not slowing down in the slightest, right into the crater behind them.

A moment later there was a thunderous boom as Weapons smashed into the wall of the crater below.

The ground shook, and loose rocks once more bounced around them, but fortunately, no major avalanche resulted. A moment later, the shaking went still. The group looked down into the crater, but saw no sign of Weapon.

"What the hell..." Barret muttered.

Yuffie suddenly stood up.

"You know, just once, just one damn time, I'd like to see something happen around here that actually made sense!"

She turned to look at Red, as usual, but he made no motion, just stared down at the crater below. Weapon was no longer attacking. It was gone. It had returned to the planet. There was only one explanation for that...

"Red?" Yuffie said slowly.

Red shook his head.

"I think I'm beginning to understand," he said finally. "C'mon, let's get down to the bottom."

* * *

Cloud felt his body go numb, staring at the sword that penetrated Vincent's chest. In spite of what his eyes told him, he couldn't believe it. Foolishly his mind clung to the notion that what his eyes were showing him wasn't real. That somehow, Vincent could survive.

Cloud was close enough to see the expression on Sephiroth's face, the smirk it held as he stood there for a moment with Vincent impaled on his masamune, as if trying to rub it in the man's face that he'd just been killed.

If Sephiroth expected to see the realization of death, or despair, or even pain on Vincent's face, however, he was disappointed. Vincent's face remained impassive, staring at Sephiroth, as if he could overcome by sheer will alone the damage that had been done to his body.

But of course, that was impossible.

He slowly sank to his knees, still staring at Sephiroth. The SOLDIER gave a shrug of his shoulders. Whether the man's will was broken along with his body was irrelevant. Much as Sephiroth would have liked to stand there until the life faded from Vincent's eyes, he had bigger fish to fry. The Cetra still lay helpless in front of him, and he somehow doubted that she would be as impassive as Vincent to the feel of his blade in her soft flesh.

Sephiroth went to pull his sword out, but suddenly Vincent's clawed hand reached out and grabbed hold of Sephiroth's wrist.

For a moment Sephiroth hesitated. He obviously had not expected this dead man to offer even this little bit of resistance. He pulled again, harder, but Vincent's claw remained locked on his hand.

Sephiroth snarled in anger. The first time he had shone any emotion except for contempt. But now he was angered by the idea of Vincent, chest pierced by the masamune, having the gall to hold onto the sword instead of having the good sense to keel over and die, and the somewhat comical view it inspired. He jerked on the sword, nearly causing Vincent to fall over. But the ex-Turk somehow managed to remain on his knees, even as his hand swept up, bringing to bear the gun he had until this moment been groping for.

Instinctively Sephiroth let go of his sword and tried to pull away, but Vincent still held his wrist. 

Suddenly Sephiroth found himself staring down the barrel of a gun.

A moment later, before he could think, before he could blink, it fired.

Cloud, who was still behind him, saw Sephiroth's head jerk back in a sudden cloud of red. Vincent finally relinquished his grip and Sephiroth fell backwards, collapsing to the ground like a rag doll. For a moment Vincent stood poised there, the sword still impaling him, his face still registering nothing, no triumph or regret, before he too fell to the ground, even his iron will no longer able to sustain him.

"Vincent!" Cloud shouted. 

A moment later Cloud was by his friends side.

A spark of life still remained in the ex-Turk. He looked up as Cloud stooped down beside him.

"I couldn't...protect Lucrecia," he said slowly. 

"Don't talk!" Cloud protested. "Just rest Vincent. Save your strength. We'll get you out of this, somehow."

Cloud fumbled with his materia, hands shaking, trying to find a restore.

Vincent looked down at the terrible wound in his chest, then back up at Cloud. His clawed hand reached out to stay Cloud's search.

"You and I both know.." he began, then was interrupted by a fit of coughing. A line of red dripped from his mouth.

"We both know I'm beyond the help of materia," he said. "Or even of Aeris arts."

"Vincent..."

Vincent shook his head. 

"Don't mourn for me, my friend. It's fitting. I couldn't protect Lucrecia. And because of that, I couldn't rest. Perhaps now...now that I've given my life to protect someone else, perhaps now I can find forgiveness."

Both of them turned to look at Aeris. She was lying on her side on the rocks just behind Vincent. Her eyes were closed, and for a moment Cloud thought she was unconscious, but then he noticed her lips were moving.

"Get her out of here Cloud," Vincent continued. "Take Aeris to safety. It's what we all came back... for..."

Vincent's head fell back, his words tailing into silence for the last time.

"Vincent!"

But this time there was no response.

Cloud bowed his head, filled with anguish. He hadn't wanted it to come to his. This was supposed to have been a battle between him and Sephiroth. There had been no need for the others to get involved. He had deliberately left them behind just so something like this wouldn't happen. 

But it had. Somehow, no matter how well thought out his plans, they never seemed to quite work out the way he anticipated.

A rumble of thunder rolled through the crater around him. He looked up, searching for the source. Far above, on the far side of the crater wall, he could see rocks tumbling down the slope, though he could not see anything that might have caused it.

With an effort he pulled himself to his feet. Vincent was right. They had done what they needed to do here. Even if he hadn't done it by himself, Sephiroth was defeated. But even so, this place was still dangerous. The sooner he got Aeris out of here, the better he would feel.

He stooped down beside Aeris. She was definitely saying something, though so softly that even right beside her he still couldn't quite make out the words. It seemed to be some kind of prayer.

He laid a hand gently on her shoulder.

"It's over Aeris," he said. "C'mon, I'll get you out of..."

He jumped as her eyes suddenly snapped open. Lifting herself up she grabbed hold of him, her eyes staring behind him.

"No it's not!" she cried.

Pulling away, he spun around, sweeping up his sword that he had momentarily laid down in one fluid motion. Behind him, an apparition was rising up where Sephiroth's body had been a moment ago.

It towered above him, nearly three meters in height. Even though the shape was vaguely human, nearly all trace of humaness seemed to have been lost. The body was a chalk white color. It stood on two huge grotesque legs, ending in feet with black daggerlike claws. One arm was gone completely replaced by some sort of misshapen wing. The other arm had grown longer, this one also tipped with claws like the feet, but the claws on the hand were much longer, as long a short sword to a normal human.

Only the head seemed to have retained even a trace of humanity. But even that was grossly perverted. Vincent's projectile had torn away a good portion of Sephiroth's forehead. Blood poured out of the wound, running down the creatures shoulder. The head lay tilted to the side, as if the neck muscles could not hold it up. No one could have survived such a terrible wound. Had the Jenova cells inside Sephiroth taken over completely, reanimating the body, or was there some trace of Sephiroth still left inside, kept alive in that twisted body by Jenova's will?

Cloud didn't have time to ponder, however, as Sephiroth's huge claw suddenly slashed out.

Aeris stared at the huge creature that Sephiroth had become, even as Cloud leaped out of the way. She pulled herself to her knees, looking around, but for what she couldn't say. Her eyes fell on Vincent's still body and tears welled in them. She couldn't believe this was happening. She was a healer, yet both Cloud and Vincent had died in front of her, their wounds beyond even her skill to heal. She wasn't strong enough to fight. If she couldn't use her healing skills, then what good was she at all?

She slowly got to her feet, watching Cloud as he retreated from the horror in front of him. Her mind had cleared, and she suddenly realized that her head no longer throbbed. She was sweating, but her fever had dissipated. For some reason, she felt better.

She looked at the Princess Guard beside her, her hand reaching for it, thinking for a moment to join Cloud in the battle, to help in what little way she could. But something stopped her. Cloud was being forced back. The creature that Sephiroth had become was too strong, too strong for him, too strong for both of them. She didn't think her help in that regard would do any good.

But what else could she do?

She had been praying to the planet, trying to break through Sephiroth's mental barrier. Or was it Jenova's? In any case, she hadn't succeeded. She hadn't been strong enough. But she had felt it weaken. Vincent might not have killed the creature in front of them with his bullet, but he had certainly hurt it. With Cloud distracting it, it must be weaker than ever. And she felt stronger. Perhaps now, if she gave it her all, she could get through.

Once again she bowed her head.

_Mother, help me!_

Sephiroth's clawed hand slammed down into the ground. Cloud swung his sword, the blade slashing against Sephiroth's wrist, but it could not seem to penetrate the armorlike skin that had grown on Sephiroth's limbs.

The hand wrenched itself out of the ground, then swung towards Cloud like a battering ram. Cloud, having no time to dodge, turned his shoulder toward the blow. Even so, it still threw him across the room and into the far wall, knocking the wind out of him.

In spite of the pain, he forced himself to his feet, knowing that remaining prone was tantamount to death. Sephiroth was right behind him, his clawed arm swinging through the air again. Cloud flung himself backwards, once again hitting the wall. The claws slashed along his abdomen, drawing blood but doing no serious damage. Cloud was already bleeding from a dozen other minor cuts. He wasn't about to let another one bother him.

Still, the damage was adding up. He couldn't keep taking damage without inflicting any. He couldn't keep dodging forever. He had to find a weak spot, or this battle would be over before it started.

He danced to one side, bluffing an attack at the creatures leg. The claw flashed, but he ducked under it, then sprang up, slashing at Sephiroth's head. 

His blade made contact. Blood flew once again. The beast gave an anguished cry, a cry that froze Cloud's blood, for the cry was not the cry of beast, but the dreadful moan of an anguished human. Cloud fell back, unnerved by the sound. 

Aeris heard the sound as well. And though it made the hairs stand up on the back of her neck, it did not break her concentration. As soon as the blow had been struck, she'd felt a weakening in the barrier between her and the planet. Jenova might be animating what was left of Sephiroth now, but it seemed it was still Sephiroth himself who maintained the barrier. As Cloud slashed at the creatures head, Aeris felt the barrier begin to yield. She closed her eyes once again, focusing all her concentration on her prayers, on trying to reach the planet. She knew she was close, she could feel it, could feel Sephiroth's protective wall slowly collapsing, stone by invisible stone. And each stone that fell gave Aeris renewed hope, strengthened her spirit enough to knock out another one, and then another, until what had started as the fall of few pebbles suddenly turned into an avalanche. 

The claws flashed out again, and once again he missed being ripped in half by a hair's breath. The attack had elicited a response, but it seemed that Sephiroth's human side, though not quite dead yet, was no more than a mere appendage. Damaging it might cause the creature pain, but it was not the mortal blow that Cloud had hoped.

Still, it was more damage than he had done with any other attack.

He charged forward again, feinted to one side, then sprang up at the head once more. But the creature must have anticipated it, for it's claws suddenly changed direction. Cloud, already committed to this course of action, pulled his blade to the side to try to fend them off with it, but was only partially successful. He was flung backwards and felt hot pain ripple through his back.

He found himself on the floor, head spinning. In spite of that, and the agonizing pain in his back, he forced himself to his feet. He shook his head to clear it, but he still felt dizzy, and the air around him suddenly seemed to be filled with a hazy greenish light. He wiped the sweat off his brow and held up his sword, even though he was so exhausted he could barely lift it anymore. He had to finish this quickly while he still had some strength left.

He attacked again, first to one side, then the other, trying to get the creature off guard, trying to pull the claw away from the vulnerable head area. Whether controlled by Sephiroth of Jenova, the creature wasn't some stupid beast, it knew it's weaknesses, and was protecting them. The pain in Cloud's back hadn't diminished, and it was only by his own strength of will that he continued to fight. He couldn't afford another failed attack. He couldn't afford to take any more damage himself, but the creature did not give him an opening.

It beat off his attack, and pressed forward itself. Cloud found himself forced back once again. He had already been almost against the wall, and didn't have much room to retreat. The creature was forcing him into a corner.

Cloud desperately struck at the creature with his sword, trying to make an opening for himself, trying to force it back so he could slip out of the corner. They both knew if it forced him into the corner the battle would be over. But he also knew he had to time his escape just right, for it was bound to be waiting for just such a move.

A step back. Then another. Cloud risked a glance behind him to see he was just a step from the wall. He couldn't wait any longer. He had to take a chance, and he had to do it now.

He slashed again at the horror in front of him, then dove to the side.

The claw instantly raked down. Again Cloud felt searing pain, this time through his right leg, as he was slammed to the ground.

He lashed out with his sword, trying to beat the claw away, but the creature had him where it wanted him, it wasn't about to let him up that easy. The claw slashed at him again and again, not giving him any respite, or any chance to escape. Slowly his guard was beaten down and the black claws moved closer and closer to finishing him off.

Both Cloud and the creature were concentrating solely on one another. Neither one of them noticed the green tendrils of lifestream that were slowly rising up from the ground around them, didn't notice, that is, until one tendril lashed forward around the creatures clawed arm and...solidified.

The creature tried to drive it's arm forward, but the motion was arrested. Startled by this sudden occupance, the creature turned and for the first time saw the green ghostly tendrils.

Cloud saw them at the same time.

With the speed of a snake, more tendrils shot forward, wrapping around the creatures arm, then legs, then around it's body. Sephiroth roared and twisted his body, struggling against them, but they held fast.

Cloud pulled himself to his feet, starting at the creature, and the green tendrils that enveloped him. He blinked his eyes, wondering if what he was seeing was real. It almost looked to him that the tendrils were taking the form of human beings. Human beings, moreover, that he could recognize. Or some of them. He saw ghostly faces and arms, reaching around the creatures body. And some of the faces he recognized as people he had known, known a long time ago. They were the faces of those who had been killed when Sephiroth burned Nibelheim. The tendrils ghosts pulled back on Sephiroth's arm and legs, holding him fast.

Cloud didn't hesitate, given the chance. He leapt forward, high into the air, raising his blade above his head. The he drove it downward, straight into the creatures neck just below Sephiroth's head. The force of gravity and Cloud's weight behind it drove the sword downward, deep into the creature's vitals, deep down it drove, until only the hilt of the sword protruded from the body.

The creature gave off a high pitched shriek. So loud it hurt Cloud's ears. It started to gyrate wildly, and Cloud fell back, half expecting it to break free from it's bonds, but the lifestream held fast. Cloud fell to his knees, his sword still embedded in the creature, as it screamed some more. But slowly the sound began to fade, the gyrations became less violent. The clawed hand slumped to the ground and a moment later, the creature became still.

With that, the lifestream just faded away, letting the monster collapse onto the floor. Cloud could see Aeris standing not far behind the creature, a look of exhaustion on her face.

Cloud looked down at the creature one last time, but it didn't move. It was really over this time. He stepped past it, walking up to Aeris, who managed a small smile before she collapsed into his arms from exhaustion.

* * *

"Where am I?"

"In Mr. Holzoff's cabin," came the reply.

"Cloud," Aeris said, seeing him sitting in a chair beside her. She sat up in bed. 

"Easy," he said. "You've been through quite an ordeal."

"I feel fine," she replied, and it was true, she did. There was no sign of the sickness she had felt earlier, and, more importantly, no sign of the upheaval she had felt in the lifestream.

Which she did not understand.

"Sephiroth?" she questioned.

"You saw it yourself. He's dead."

She looked down at herself.

"And I'm still alive."

"Well, yeah, that's obvious," he replied, with just the hint of a smile.

"But, I don't understand," she said. "Wasn't I supposed to die? Wasn't that why the lifestream was in turmoil? I thought..."

"I think Red can explain it better than I," Cloud replied. "The others are in the next room, if you feel up to it?"

"Of course," she replied.

He helped her to her feet and they walked into the main room of the cabin. All her friends were there, with the exception of Yuffie. They both sat down.

"How are you feeling?" Tifa asked.

"Much better," Aeris replied. "Though I don't understand why."

"Perhaps I can clear that up for you," Red said, stepping forward. 

Aeris nodded.

"As I understand it, you thought the lifestream was in turmoil because you were supposed to die and did not," he said.

Aeris nodded again.

"A reasonable assumption, but I believe you were wrong, and it was Weapon that gave me the clue."

"Go on," Aeris said slowly.

"As you know, Weapons are created by the planet when it feels threatened. Originally, five Weapons were created, but when we returned to the past and they were created the second time, there were six of them. The sixth immediately turned and attacked us. It kept attacking until it destroyed the Highwind..."

"The Highwind was destroyed?" Aeris questioned. 

"Yes," Cid replied. "But don't worry, there's another one near Rocket Town that shouldn't be too hard to fix."

Aeris just shook her head.

"Anyway," Red continued. "It destroyed the Highwind, and along with it, most of us, or the us from the past. Which didn't seem to make sense. How could we be here if we were killed before we came? But anyway, I digress."

"After Weapon had destroyed the Highwind, it returned to the planet. Now, why would it do that?"

Aeris thought for a moment. Why did she suddenly feel like a schoolgirl getting quizzed?

"It would only return to the planet if it's job here was done."

"Exactly," Red replied. "The only thing it did while it was here was to destroy the Highwind, which led me to conclude that was it's mission."

"It's mission was to destroy the Highwind?" Barret said, looking confused.

"Not the Highwind itself, those on board it," Red replied. "Us, in other words. Or rather the duplicates of us. Aeris, you assumed the lifestream was in turmoil because you were supposed to die but did not, but I believe the real reason it was in turmoil was because there were two of us here and that wasn't supposed to be."

Aeris just sat there looking at him for a moment. 

"Cloud told us you suddenly improved while he was battling Sephiroth," Red continued. "Isn't that true?"

Aeris nodded.

"Yes, at one point, I did suddenly feel better. It was right after Vincent," she stopped, looking up at the Vincent who was seated nearby. "After you...died."

"And I'd estimate that was just about the time that the Highwind was destroyed," Red added. 

Aeris sat there thinking about that. It all made sense. If the lifestream was in upheaval because there was two of her friends, then it would calm down after one was gone, which seemed to be exactly what had happened. If it was her the lifestream was in turmoil about, it still would be.

"But wait," Barret cut in, "that still doesn't explain how we could be here after our past selves died. If they were killed before they went into the past, shouldn't we...not be here?"

"Apparently not," Red said, "since we obviously are still here. I'm afraid I really don't have any good explanation for that. As I said once before, none of us know the rules of time travel. Maybe we can't just disappear. It wouldn't even make sense if our past selves were somehow transported into the past at the instant the Highwind crashed. The past selves of myself, Cid, Barret, and Cait Sith were killed on the Highwind, but it was the future Cloud, Tifa and Vincent who were killed. Perhaps once you're in this time, nothing that happens in any other time changes things here, perhaps once there were two of us here, they were separate individuals, no longer connected. Or perhaps, as I suggested once, we didn't travel in time at all but just to a different and yet very similar dimension."

No one looked very satisfied with that answer.

"But...but if that's the case," Barret said hesitantly. "Then how do we get back to where we belong?"

"Who says this isn't where we belong?" Red questioned.

Barret just gave him the usual blank look, and it this case it was matched by the others.

"It's the same world," Red pointed out. "Or similar enough as to not matter. It's past the time where we went into the past, so it's all new from here on in. Even if we don't belong here, we don't know how we got here, and we don't know how to get back, or even if it's possible. But as far as I can see, it doesn't really make much difference, now does it?"

No one spoke, but the looks on their faces made it apparent that they weren't happy with Red's explanation. The truth was, he wasn't himself, but he had to accept that fact that there were some things in life that just defied explanation.

"So does this mean that we're not going to die?" Tifa cut in suddenly.

They all looked at her.

"Cloud, Vincent and I, I mean," she clarified. 

"We all die," Red stated.

"You know what I mean," Tifa replied.

Red shrugged.

"Yes I do. According to the theory, you were all supposed to go into the past when the Highwind was destroyed, but you didn't. We're past that now, and I'd say at this point, the slate is wiped clean."

Tifa smiled.

"That's what I was hoping you'd say, even though I don't understand it."

"I don't think any of us do," Cid commented.

"Wait a minute," Aeris cut in. "You never mentioned Yuffie. What happened to her?"

"Ah yes," Red stated. "That's another story altogether."

As if on cue, the door to the cabin suddenly opened, and two identical young ninja's tried to squeeze through at the same time.

"Hey, I'm walking here!"

"Get out of the way, I was first!"

"You were not! I was clearly ahead of you when we got to the door."

"You were not!"

Aeris turned to look at Red.

"Two Yuffies?" she blurted out.

"I'm afraid so," Barret muttered.

Aeris frowned.

"But wait, you said that having two of you was what was upsetting the lifestream. So how can there still be two Yuffies?"

Red nodded.

"Much as it would be amusing to see Weapon running around after our two ninja friends trying to step on one, it appears that having a duplicate of only a single one of us does not cause enough of a disturbance in the lifestream to warrant a response."

Aeris stared back and forth between Red and the two Yuffies.

"So that means..."

"Yup," Barret stated ruefully. "We're stuck with them."

One Yuffie finally forced her way ahead, and they both entered the room.

"Sheesh, how rude," she snapped, looking at the other Yuffie. "And by the way, you're going to have to change your name, you know. We can't have people calling us both Yuffie."

"Change  _my_  name, you change yours. I'm the original Yuffie, after all!"

"No, you're the  _old_  Yuffie, the obsolete Yuffie. I'm the new and improved version. I should get to keep the name."

"You keep the name? I don't think so. I had it first!"

"Big deal. Like I said, you're obsolete, you don't deserve it anymore."

"Don't deserve it? Not likely. We need a new name for you, and I've got just the thing. I think we'll call you Ninja Bimbo from now on."

"Ninja Bimbo? How dare you! No, I'm still Yuffie. We can call you Materia Slut."

"Materia Slut? Why you! I oughta take you apart right now!"

"Ha! Take me apart? I've been around longer than you, I've got the experience. You wouldn't stand a chance."

"Not stand a chance? Don't make me laugh. I've still got my youth. You're old and slow. I could beat you without even breaking into a sweat!"

"In your dreams! And by the way, don't you be thinking of trying to take anything from my materia stash."

" _Your_  materia stash. That's mine! You stay away from it!"

"It's mine so I'll touch it all I want!"

"Don't be a jerk!"

"I'm not a jerk, you are!"

"Moron!"

"Idiot!"

"Dork!" they both yelled at once.

Cloud sat back in his chair and shook his head.

"Two Yuffies," he sighed. "You know, I was hoping our nightmares were over when we defeated Sephiroth, but it looks now like they've just begun!"

 

THE END

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, this certainly turned out to be an interesting little experiment. When I first started this story, I had no idea where it would go or how it would turn out. I have to admit the results were pretty mixed. Most of the chapters came out pretty well, but I have to admit it was a lot harder to get people to participate in a timely manner than I had expected. The 'open' section seemed to work a little bit better, but all in all, I don't think I'll be repeating this little experiment anytime soon.
> 
> As for the story itself, well, I decided pretty early on that I was going to end up killing off one of each character. The problem was to do it without giving it away too soon to the reader (gotta keep you guessing. Hey, it's my job!). I figured if I killed off one of EVERYONE then what I was doing would be too obvious (not to mention strain the bounds of credibility) so I either had to kill off two of someone or let two of someone live, and since I'm usually a happy ending kind of guy (and I stress usually) I decided to let two of someone live. So then the $64000 question became, who? The two choices that immediately sprung to mind were Cloud and Yuffie. Cloud because that was one way (and a rather original way, I believe) to solve the love triangle between Cloud, Tifa and Aeris. With two Cloud's they could each have one. Yuffie because of the obvious comic possibilities. In the end, I decided the story would be more dramatic if I killed Cloud off early on, so Yuffie got the nod.


End file.
